


Lightning always leaves it's mark, just not always the way you imagine.

by canthelpmyselves



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mob, Blood and Violence, Gun Violence, Human Trafficking, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Mob Boss Barry Allen, Multi, Not as violent as the tags make it seem, dark!Barry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-07
Updated: 2019-03-15
Packaged: 2019-10-23 22:42:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 21,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17692487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/canthelpmyselves/pseuds/canthelpmyselves
Summary: Len loved pretty boys. Too bad the one he tried to pick up turned out to be his sister's husband. A husband Len didn't even know she had. From there, things just get even more complicated.





	1. Happy Anniversary

**Author's Note:**

> There really isn't anything very graphic in this story, although there are deaths, fights and sex. This Barry is a lot darker than any version I've ever written before, but he's not a bad guy. He's protective of those he loves and considers his, and will do whatever it takes to keep them safe. The polyamory tag comes into play about mid-story, so don't expect it too soon. I haven't made a character list because there are just too many. Some are minor and some play larger roles.

Leonard Snart had three weaknesses. His sister Lisa, a daring heist and pretty men. The young man who had just walked into Saints and Sinners was definitely the third one. Mile long legs encased in tight denim immediately drew his attention. He could just imagine them wrapped around his waist. Len trailed his eyes up the body and took the time to appreciate the pert ass and swimmer’s build, as well. He had feathery chestnut hair, big hazel puppy eyes and a pair of lips just perfect for wrapping around a hard cock. He sucked back the rest of his beer and stood up from his table, ignoring the inquisitive looks from Mick and Sam.

Puppy Eyes was leaning across the bar, talking softly to Janet, the bartender, when Len slid onto the stool beside him. He leaned his left elbow on the bar top and sent the guy a sly smile. “Haven’t seen you in here before,” he purred.

The guy sighed softly and sat back. Janet shot Len a warning look before placing a shot glass on the bar and pouring tequila into it. She set the bottle down beside the glass and walked away. Len watched the kid knock back the shot and pour a second. He wished the kid wasn’t wearing leather gloves so he could see the muscles in his hands flex. He was a sucker for nice hands, too.

“I don’t come here very often,” the young man said quietly, sipping his second shot.

“I’m Len,” he said with a wink.

“I know,” Puppy Eyes said.

Len’s eyes widened slightly. Had they met before? Not likely. Len wouldn’t have forgotten that pretty face. Or those legs. Besides, he and his crew had only been back in Central a month. “Got a name?”

“I do,” he answered, sipping his drink.

Len felt a spike of unease race up his spine. Something wasn’t right here. The guy didn’t seem threatening. In fact, he looked and felt absolutely harmless. Len was an excellent judge of people, so he was confident that the guy was no danger to him, so why was he suddenly on alert?

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to ask you for a favor,” Puppy Eyes said softly. 

“What favor?” growled Len, growing more and more uneasy.

Puppy Eyes looked at him finally. “Tell Lisa that Bear said happy anniversary.”

Before Len could even begin to make sense of that, the guy was off the stool and out the back door. Janet came back over and put away the bottle, looking at Len sternly. 

“Stay away from that one,” she warned. “He’s got enough problems without you and your gang adding to them.”

Len smirked and stood up, hiding his inner turmoil. “Now honey, when have me and mine ever caused any problems?”

Janet rolled her eyes as she grabbed the shot glass, too. “I mean it, Snart. Leave Allen alone.”

Allen. He had a name. Now to find out how Lisa knew him and what he meant by ‘happy anniversary’.

* * *

Lisa paled and spun to look at her brother, almost dropping the wine bottle she was opening. “Are you sure?” she demanded. She looked from Len to Mick and then back to Len. “You’re positive he said the name Bear?”

“Janet called him Allen,” Len told her, tilting his head as he studied her closely. Dismay, hope, then joy flickered through her eyes as she slumped back against the fridge.

“He’s okay,” she whispered. Her eyes filled with tears and she gave a weak sob. “He’s alive and he’s okay!”

“Lise, who is this guy?” Len demanded.

She turned her eyes to him and began to laugh softly. “My husband, Lenny. He’s my husband.”

* * *

Married. His sister was married to one Bartholomew Allen. Barry. Bear. The pretty young man Len had hoped to pick up tonight was his brother-in-law. It was their wedding anniversary. Not only was it the fifth anniversary of the day they married, but it was also the third anniversary of the night he disappeared. 

“We met at the group home,” Lisa said softly, drawing Len’s attention away from his musings. “One of the social workers was getting a little handsy and Barry stopped him. Hit him with a skillet and knocked him down. The guy threatened to press charges, so that night we ran away. When we got to Kansas we found a judge who agreed to marry us, even though we were only 17. Lewis was in jail and our moms long gone. Barry’s parents were both dead. With no legal guardians, it was easy to convince him it was in our best interests to make us legal adults.”

Lisa took a big sip of her wine before tucking her feet up under her. “Barry got a job at the hospital in the laundry room. He made sure I got my GED and then I enrolled in the community college.”

“Why didn’t you come to me?” Len bit out, struggling to control his anger.

Lisa shrugged. “I hadn’t heard from you in a couple of months. The last I heard you were somewhere near Germany, but I had no phone number to call or address to write.”

“The Burges job,” Mick mumbled. Len exhaled loudly and ran a hand down his face. That was a rough job. It had taken eight months for the heat to die down and they had been completely out of contact with everyone during most of it.

“Anyway,” Lisa continued, “we made it work. Or rather, Barry did. He worked 12 hour days to make sure we had food and a bed. I offered to find a job but he wouldn’t let me. He insisted I get an education. Then Lewis got out and found us.”

Len froze and looked at her with shock. “What? Impossible! How did I never hear about this?”

Lisa sighed and clenched her hands together in her lap. “I never told anyone he came after me,” she whispered. “The official story is that he broke out and was killed by his old crew.”

“The unofficial story?” Mick asked gently.

Lisa shivered and turned pale. “We were out at a Denny’s for an anniversary breakfast when Lewis spotted us. He was trying to locate you, Lenny, and had tracked one of his old fences to the town we were living in. It was just bad luck on our part. We were leaving the restaurant and he grabbed me, pulling us into the alley. He had a gun to my ribs, going on and on about how you’d come back for me. As soon as he was focused on me and not Barry, Barry rushed him, telling me to run. I ran back into the restaurant but by the time I got help, both of them were gone. I never saw Barry again. Until tonight, I’ve always feared that he was dead.”

“He never came home or contacted you?” Mick asked.

Lisa chewed on her bottom lip. “We had a plan,” she mumbled. “If we were ever in trouble, we would run. We always had a couple of bags packed and some money stashed. As soon as I got back to the apartment I grabbed both bags, most of the cash and headed to Keystone. I left enough for him to get there, like we always planned. When I got to town the safe house we would have met up in was under mob control. I had to keep going. A few weeks later I found you and Mick and we went to Florida. I was scared to tell anyone about Barry because Lewis’ body had been found by then.”

“You think he killed Lewis?” Len asked.

Lisa looked up at her brother, her expression fierce. “Barry knew everything that man did to us. He saw the scars. He held me during my nightmares. There is no doubt in my mind that Barry would have killed Lewis to protect me.” She swallowed the last of her wine and looked at him hopefully. “Was he okay?” she asked. “Healthy? Happy?”

Mick snorted. “Okay enough for your brother to try and pick him up.”

Len shot Mick a glare but Lisa, much to his surprise, laughed happily. “You’re amused?” he asked warily.

“We married to protect ourselves,” Lisa reminded him. She stood and smoothed her hair. “Janet seemed to know him, right? I’m going to go talk to her. I need to find him.”

Len stood and grabbed his jacket. “We’ll both go. I’d like to have a little chat with your husband,” he sneered.

Lisa hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Just keep your temper in check, Lenny. Remember, he saved my life. More than once.” Len grunted but didn’t reply as all three of them left the safe house.


	2. Hello, Ladybug

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Len, Lisa and Mick hunt for Barry.

The moment they walked into the bar Janet set aside the rag she was using on the counter and grabbed three shot glasses. Len quirked an eyebrow as she filled them to the brim with whiskey. 

“I figure you three aren’t going to like the way this conversation goes, so might as well ply you with liquor in the hopes you won’t fuck up my bar later,” she grumbled.

“Tell me where I can find him,” Lisa said immediately.

“No,” Janet replied, crossing her arms.

“I need to find him,” Lisa said, her eyes narrowing. 

“No.”

Lisa hesitated a second before leaning forward. “Jan, he’s my husband,” she said in a softer tone. 

“I know,” Janet nodded. “Answer’s still no.”

“Why?” asked Len, curious and frustrated all at the same time.

The question made Janet pause. She carefully looked around the mostly empty bar before bracing her forearms on the bar and lowering her voice. “Because he wouldn’t want me to,” she answered. “And frankly, I like him a lot more than I like you, Snart. He doesn’t start fights just to be an asshole. His friends don’t set shit on fire.”

“Jan, please,” Lisa said, reaching across and gripping the other woman’s wrist lightly. “Len said you warned him off earlier. You said Bear doesn’t need more problems. If he’s in trouble...”

Janet snorted and pulled away from Lisa. “If Allen wants to see you, he’ll find you. You’re a good kid, Lisa. I do like you. So, take some advice from someone who knows more about this than you. Stay away from Allen. The kind of trouble he’s got? You don’t want none of it. He doesn’t want you involved.”

Lisa stood and tossed her hair over her shoulder. “He’s my husband. He’s my best friend. I’m not going to just abandon him!”

“You mean like you did before?” Janet asked frankly.

Lisa gasped and started to lunge but Len was faster, grabbing her around the waist and holding her back. “Let’s go,” he growled. Mick stood and helped pull Lisa out of the bar. Once they were outside, Len gripped her by the upper arms and forced her to look at him. “Calm down.”

“Did you hear her?” Lisa hissed. 

“I heard,” Len said. “Punching our only source of information is not smart.”

Mick tapped Len on the shoulder hard. When Len looked over at him, Mick nodded toward the parking lot. At the edge of the lot stood Barry, hands in his pockets. As soon as he had their attention he turned and crossed the street, strolling into the alley between a coffee shop and a check cashing place. Lisa jerked free and hurried after him, Len and Mick close on her heels.

As they entered the alley, Len and Mick pulled their guns free as a precaution. Halfway down the alley the young man was waiting, tugging on gloves. Lisa gave a soft cry as she ran forward and threw her arms around his waist. Len was a little surprised by the way Barry reacted. He cringed slightly, keeping his hands at his sides. His expression as he looked at Mick and Len over Lisa’s shoulder was one of resignation and disappointment.

After a couple of seconds Lisa noticed he wasn’t returning the hug, so she slowly pulled away. “Bear?” 

Len hated hearing Lisa sound sad and confused. He had the urge to smack the kid for putting that tone in her voice. Then Barry moved his hands to Lisa’s hips and he had a different reason for wanting to smack the kid.

“Hello, Ladybug,” Barry said in a soft voice. “Still the prettiest girl in the world,” he told her, a slight smile lifting the corners of his lips.

Lisa relaxed and smiled brightly. “I couldn’t believe it!” she said excitedly. “When Lenny told me you were at the bar… God, Bear! I’ve missed you so much!”

Barry lifted a hand toward her cheek but froze halfway. A flicker of pain crossed his eyes before he dropped the hand again and took a step back. “You shouldn’t be here,” he said quietly. “I shouldn’t have sent you that message. A… a moment of weakness,” he murmured.

Lisa took a step closer to Barry but he quickly jumped back out of reach. Len edged closer, wary. “So, you’re my brother-in-law,” he drawled, trying to gain control of the confusing situation.

Barry looked over at him, a mask dropping over his face. “Lenny,” he said by way of a hello. He turned his eyes toward Mick. “You must be Mick.”

Mick grunted, keeping his attention split between the two ends of the alley. 

Lisa wrapped her arms around her waist as she stared at Barry. “Why are you acting like this?” she asked softly. “Aren’t you happy to see me?”

Barry sighed and looked away. After a couple of seconds he closed the distance between them and pulled Lisa into a tight hug. Len saw another flicker of pain before the younger man closed his eyes. “I’ll always be happy to see you, Ladybug,” Barry said gently. He pressed a brief kiss to her hair and stepped back out of arm’s reach again. 

He looked over, meeting Len’s eyes. “Don’t let her look for me,” he ordered. Len bristled instantly at being given orders by a stranger. “Don’t let her contact me again. I’ve got too many enemies, least of which is Deathbolt.”

Len’s eyes widened as his grip on his gun tightened. Deathbolt. He was the best killer the Santini Family had. Over 40 confirmed kills (as many as 150 more rumored kills) and no one outside Franco Santini knew who the guy was. What the fuck had Barry done to have that assassin on his tail?

“Wait!” Lisa cried out as Barry turned to leave. “We can help! Dammit, Bear! Talk to me!”

Barry slipped through a door behind him without replying. By the time Lisa grabbed the handle, it was locked from the inside. Frantic, she raced by Len and went around to the front. Len and Mick followed her into the coffee shop, and through to the back, ignoring the staff’s shouts. After a full five minutes of searching, there was no sign of Barry. Len pulled Lisa from the shop and back to the bar parking lot where their car was parked. The drive back to the safe house was silent. When they got inside, Lisa immediately ran to her bedroom and shut the door.

Len dropped down onto the sofa and ran a hand down his face. The other end of the sofa sagged as Mick sat down. “Now what, boss?”

Len sighed and let his head drop onto the back of the sofa. “I don’t know,” he admitted.

* * *

Len decided the best thing to do was gather more information. He contacted some people who owed him favors and began digging. After three weeks his head was practically spinning. Barry Allen was an enigma. On the surface, he was a low level, 22 year old thief. He only did small jobs, skirting the edge of drawing attention to himself. It wasn’t until he dug deeper that he realized that stealing was actually a hobby, of sorts. 

Allen’s true vocation was as a problem solver. Got a dead body you need disposed of? He took care of it. Someone owed you money and refused to pay up? He collected the debt. Need something or someone for your next job, he found it for you. The kid had a reputation for always coming through on a job. His pool of connections was more of an ocean.

Hell, Len had used his services twice, himself, albeit through a second party. He also found out why Santini had it in for the kid. Allen had (intentionally?) sold Santini’s son bad info which led to his arrest. Rumor had it that the son had offed a vagrant under Barry’s protection and this was payback. 

That didn’t make sense to Len. Allen was the best at what he did. Why would he risk his reputation over a homeless man? Why risk the fury of the mob over one old man? Allen was too good for such a shoddy plan, too. Was the kid being set up? If not, did he have a reason for making his involvement so obvious? There had to someone else behind Allen. Someone powerful enough to protect him if Allen was this open about going against the Santini Family.

Len had a few answers now, but he also had a lot more questions. He needed to talk to the kid, get his side of the story before he decided what to do. Not to mention, Lisa was on his case every minute of the day to find Allen. With that in mind, he made another trip to Saints and Sinners. Janet might not want to help, but she wasn’t the only person in there who might know something.


	3. He Owed Me Money

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Len finally catches up to Barry, but their talk gets interrupted.

Len sighed as one of the whores from across the street walked in and sat down in his booth. “Sorry, sweetheart,” he drawled. “Not interested, tonight.”

The bottled blonde chewed on her bottom lip for a moment. “Fifty and I’ll give you some information.”

Len snorted. “And what information could you have that I’d be interested in?” he asked, playing it cool in case she did know something interesting.

“How about where you can find a certain man?” she whispered. “Tall. Thin. Big green eyes.”

Len forced himself not to tense. He’d been looking for Barry for over a week now, with no luck. “Gotta name?” he asked, scanning the room as if the answer didn’t matter.

“Allen,” she said hesitantly. “Worth it?”

Len studied her carefully. Maybe 18. Probably not. He waved over the waitress and ordered the girl a whiskey. “Well?” he asked, sliding a fifty across the table.

She fidgeted until the drink arrived, then drained it in one gulp. “Highland Park,” she said quickly. “6 am, every Tuesday morning. It’s his only routine.” She paused and smirked. “Well, his only work related routine.” A second later she was out of the booth and out the door.

Len slowly stood and tossed some bills on the table. Tuesday was two days away. He had some planning to do.

* * *

Highland Park wasn’t an actual park. It was a six block stretch of underpass where the dregs of society could be found. Druggies, whores and the homeless lived and died there daily. It took Len and Mick ten minutes to locate Allen. He was leaning against one of the overhead highway’s support beams, hands in his pockets as he spoke quietly to an old woman with a beat-up shopping cart. He looked at them over her head, a clear warning in his eyes. 

Len stopped a couple of yards away, giving them some privacy, but keeping his eyes firmly on the kid. He was surprised by the precautions Allen took as they watched. He could tell the kid was speaking, but he stopped moving his lips, so Len couldn’t read what he was saying. He shifted to the left slightly, which put his face in darker shadows, concealing his expressions. After a couple of minutes he handed the woman a couple of bills. The woman nodded quickly and hurried off. Len’s lips pulled back into a smirk as they walked closer.

“I’m a little offended, Kid,” he began.

Allen stared at him calmly. “Aren’t we all, on occasion?”

“You could have at least given me a family discount when you worked for me,” he teased.

“I’ve never worked for you,” Allen corrected.

“Actually, you did,” Len insisted. “Two years ago you sold my crew the route for an armored truck delivering two Pollocks and then eight months ago you located a buyer for a very large, uncut emerald I needed to move.”

Allen smirked. “Correction,” he said in a chiding tone. “I never worked for you. I sold Scudder that route and I found an emerald for a buyer.” He pushed off the beam and began walking away. “And I don’t give discounts.”

Len clenched his teeth at the kid’s audacity. “We need to talk,” he growled.

When Allen didn’t stop or even slow down, Mick moved fast for a big guy and blocked his path. “Look, kid, you ain’t going anywhere,” he grumbled. “Lisa wants to see you.”

Allen sighed and turned to face Len. “I told you, it’s not safe. Keep her away from me.”

“Why’d you set up Santini’s boy?” Len demanded, walking over and standing by Mick’s side. “It was too sloppy to be anything but deliberate, Allen.”

“He owed me money,” Allen shrugged. 

“Bullshit,” Len snapped. “Look, you’re my brother-in-law, whether I like it or not...”

“I’m guessing not,” Allen said, rolling his eyes. “I find it pretty amusing I was good enough for a fuck as long as it was you wanting to fuck and not Lisa.”

“Say that again,” Len dared furiously.

Suddenly Allen tensed and grabbed Mick by the front of his shirt. He shoved him into Len, forcing both men to the ground. Len scrambled to pull his gun, but before he could clear his holster there were two shots fired. Mick rolled to the side, pulling his own gun and aiming at the kid’s back. Allen gave a low grunt, but made no move to attack or run away. He looked back at them, over his shoulder.

“Go! Now!” he ordered. Two more shots rang out and Allen’s body jerked hard to the right. Len’s jaw dropped as he felt warm blood splatter on his cheek. Mick gave a low warning sound, drawing Len’s attention to the masked man walking toward them. He had a gun pointed at Allen and they could only stare in shock as he pulled the trigger once more. Allen’s body twitched, but he stayed on his feet.

Mick began firing at the assassin, who quickly dove behind an old wrecked car. Allen dropped to one knee and was beginning to gasp for air. Len watched in shock as his body shook so hard, it was almost vibrating. Blood was steadily dripping to the ground around the kid’s knee. He scrambled to his feet to put pressure on the wound, only to find there were several. Right before his eyes he watched as the wounds grew smaller, the skin knitting itself back together.

“What the fuck?” he whispered. 

“Run,” Allen hissed before pushing to his feet and stalking toward the car. 

Len almost followed, but Mick grabbed him by the belt and jerked him behind the support beam. Two more shots were fired before they heard a loud thud. Len peeked around the beam and watched as Allen straddled the assassin sprawled across the wreck’s hood. He punched the masked man’s chest twice before grabbing the mask and ripping it off. He leaned in really close and whispered into Deathbolt’s ear. The assassin sneered and spit in Allen’s face. Allen calmly lifted a hand and wiped at his cheek. A vicious grin spread across Allen’s face before he grabbed Deathbolt’s gun, slid off the car and shot him in the chest. The assassin screamed loudly, cursing Barry as he aimed one more time and fired into the assassin’s face.

Mick moved around Len and both of them quickly scanned the area. Everyone, the homeless, the dealers and the hookers, had disappeared after the first shot was fired. There were no witnesses, and no backup for the assassin. Mick smacked Len on the arm, drawing his attention. 

“What?!” he demanded.

Mick pointed toward the wreck and Len turned back around. Deathbolt was dead, blood pooling beneath him. Allen was gone. Len spun, but there was no sign of the younger man anywhere. “Fuck!” he hissed.

The sound of police sirens began to reach them and they hurried back to where they had left their bikes. Mick looked at Len with stunned confusion. “He took at least five hits, boss. Maybe more. How the hell was he still standing?”

Len thought about what he had seen, the way the bullet holes closed so fast. What the hell was Barry Allen? “Let’s get back to the safe house,” he growled. “We need more information!”

* * *

“So, what?” asked Lisa carefully. “You think he’s one of those people affected by the particle accelerator? Like Rosa or Sam?”

Len sipped his beer, his brow creased in thought. “Either that or he’s an alien. He had five bullet wounds, Lis. Five. I watched them close up.”

“He lost a lot of blood,” Mick grunted. “Don’t get it. If he’s able to take hits like that, why’s he worried about being on some mob boss’ list?”

“He’s not worried about himself,” Lisa guessed. “He’s worried about collateral damage. Bear wouldn’t want anyone to get hurt because of him.”

Len frowned more as he stared at the bottle in his hand. Every time he thought he was getting close to figuring out something about his mysterious brother-in-law he ended up with more questions. The whore’s words drifted through his head again. 

_‘work related routine’_

That implied he had a personal routine. The leer in her eyes suggested it was sexual. Was she a regular for Allen? If he couldn’t get answers from Allen, himself, maybe he could get them from her. Len pushed off the wall and grabbed his jacket. “Gotta go see someone,” he mumbled. “Mick, might need a lookout for this one.”

Mick grunted and grabbed his gun and jacket without complaint.


	4. Bathroom Talks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry explains more about his power and why he's reluctant to let Lisa come near him.

It took most of the day and night to locate the prostitute. Len had to keep a close eye on Mick throughout most of it, as he kept getting ‘distracted’. He might have found her quicker alone, but in this part of town, it was best to have someone watching your back. When they finally spotted her, she looked like she was getting ready to run. Len held up his hands, one empty and the other holding a roll of bills. She looked around and quickly led them to a small alcove. 

“Look, the others are already pissed I sent you to the park,” she said quickly, before they could say a word. “I don’t need your kinda trouble. I definitely don’t want Allen to know I talked to you again.”

Len searched her face quickly. “He’s violent?”

The hooker rolled her eyes. “Allen?” she snorted. “Please! The guy’s a damn unicorn! He wouldn’t ever hit me or any of the girls. But he’s mad you two got shot at. If anyone finds out it’s my mouth that was running again, I ain’t getting dinner.”

“Dinner?” Mick repeated, sounding confused.

She shrugged. “Okay, so he’ll still let me come. He never turns any of us away. But I’ll have to put up with the disappointed sighs and puppy eyes.” She shot Len a glare. “Ever tried to digest while getting those sad eyes? Impossible!”

Len blinked a couple of times as he tried to understand what he was hearing. After a couple of minutes he dragged a hand down his face. “Wait a minute. You’re telling me that Allen takes you to dinner each week?”

She rolled her eyes. “Do you guys even know the guy?” She huffed and looked around them to make sure they still had some privacy. “Look, Allen’s one of a kind. Everyone around here knows that if we got a problem, he’ll help. Once a week he sets up a huge meal for anyone who wants to drop in. When a couple of badges were shaking down some of us for freebies, we asked him for help. We haven’t seen those creeps since. He keeps the pimps out of here, too. Any girl that gets knocked up knows he’ll help with money, diapers, food, vetting adopters or even babysitting in a pinch. I don’t know what you’re after, but I ain’t helping you again.”

“The guy’s family,” Mick told her, ignoring the way Len’s jaw clenched. “We’re trying to help with a problem he’s got.”

Len tilted his head, noticing a shadow across the street. He tensed when he realized it was the very guy he was looking for. He reached over and slapped Mick’s elbow, pointing his chin toward Allen. Len shoved the money he was holding into the hooker’s hand and walked quickly across the street. Allen was half a block ahead of them as they silently trailed along behind. He turned onto 34th street and headed into Kronos, one of the least reputable bars in Central. Len and Mick shared a look before splitting up. Len went inside while Mick went down the alley toward the back. 

Len slipped inside the bar and found a dark corner. From there he watched as Allen sat down at the bar. He ordered a drink and sipped it slowly. After a few minutes a guy in biker leathers walked up and whispered into Allen’s ear. He gave a short nod and they walked off toward the bathrooms.

Len immediately moved to follow. He didn’t question his motives. He knew of only two reasons for two men to go to a public bathroom in a seedy gay bar together. Sex or drugs. He wasn’t about to let his brother-in-law indulge in either one. Not while he was still married to Lisa!

When he reached the bathroom door he pressed his ear to the wood, but could only hear the sound of murmuring. He grabbed the handle, surprised it wasn’t locked. He shoved the door open, scowl in place, only to freeze at the sight in front of him. Allen was leaning back against a sink while the biker was holding out a small ring box. 

Allen glanced at Len before turning his eyes back to the guy. The biker looked at Len with startled eyes until Barry cleared his throat, regaining his attention. “I know a guy who can do the job,” Barry said calmly. “Might take a couple of days. How fast do you need this fixed?”

The biker sagged with relief. “By Sunday. If Mika comes home and this thing’s still missing the stone, I’m heading for divorce court.”

Barry nodded and pulled out his phone. He typed out a message and sent it before taking the box and slipping it into his back pocket. “If you’re gonna be a dumbass and hire a working girl, go to Cooper Avenue. The girls aren’t the cheapest, but they won’t steal the diamonds from your wife’s jewelry box, either.”

The biker looked at Len again but Barry just rolled his eyes. “Don’t mind Snart,” he said calmly. “He’s a thorn in my side, not yours.” 

The biker nodded, slipped past Len and headed back to the bar. Len stepped to the side and let the door swing shut. “Doing business in bathrooms, kid? Sketchy, even for me.”

Barry took off his gloves as he shrugged before walking into a stall and unzipping his pants. A steady stream of urine began hitting the bowl. “Something you need, or are you here to annoy?”

Len smirked and leaned back against the wall. “You’re in surprisingly good shape for someone who got shot several times last night.”

Barry snorted as he finished pissing, zipped up, and flushed the toilet. He walked over to the sink and washed his hands before looking at Len. “Is that a compliment?”

Len ignored the butterflies in his stomach Barry’s smirk caused. “You’re a meta, aren’t you?”

Barry shrugged silently, slipping his hands back into his gloves.

Len resisted the urge to shake the kid until he gave Len the answers he was looking for. “Do you have any powers, aside from that insanely fast healing?”

Barry seemed to hesitate before sighing. “Yes. None I want to discuss. Especially not with you.”

Len raised an eyebrow. “And why is that?” he demanded.

“Because I don’t like your attitude,” Barry said honestly. “I don’t trust you. And I sure as hell don’t want you having any sort of power over me.”

“You don’t know me,” Len growled.

Barry took a step forward, eyes like hard gems. “I know that you don’t give a damn about anyone but yourself, Lisa and Rory. Which makes me wonder why you’re so determined to track me down. What is it you think I can do for you? What do you need me for? Whatever it is, I’m betting it’s dangerous. I’ve got plenty on my plate, already. I don’t need the trouble you can bring me.”

“I’m determined because Lisa cares about you,” Len bit out furiously. What was it about this kid that made him bounce between lust and anger so easily, or so frequently? “You’re right. I don’t give a damn about you, but I love my sister. Whatever she wants, she gets. And she has her heart set on seeing you.”

“No.” Nothing else, just that one word. Barry stared at Len, stone-faced.

“Yes,” Len growled.

Barry rolled his eyes and moved as if to slip past Len. Len quickly blocked him in and reached out to grab Barry’s arm. Barry immediately jumped back, almost slamming into the stall behind him. “Do not touch me!” he hissed furiously.

“I’ll do whatever I fucking want,” Len snapped.

Barry stared at him for several seconds before jerking the glove from his left hand. He held the hand up, palm facing away from Len. Len studied the hand with confusion for a moment before something amazing began to happen. Little sparks of electricity began dancing across the skin, jumping between the fingertips, and encircling the wrist. He glanced up at Barry’s face and tensed at the look of defeat he found there. Barry jerked the glove back on.

“I’m not avoiding her to be cruel,” Barry said in a savage tone. “I’m dangerous. I can’t control it. Anyone I touch, skin to skin, for more than thirty seconds goes into cardiac arrest. You wanted to know why I set up Alberto Santini?”

Barry’s eyes flash with the same sparks that had danced along his skin, and it made Len shrink back in self-preservation. “When my powers manifested, I quickly found out that I was deadly to almost everyone I touch. There were only two people I could touch, for more than a second, and not send them into convulsions! Two, Snart! And Santini killed one of them, not because Donnie crossed him, or owed him or hurt him. No, he killed Donnie because I wouldn’t let the sonovabitch drug me and fuck me! He killed half my human contact because I said ‘no’! So, yes, I set the bastard up.” 

Barry sucked in a shaky breath. “And the worst part for me? If I had known how it would go, I’d have gladly bent over to save Donnie’s life. I have to live with the knowledge that Donnie’s death is my fault,” Barry said brokenly. He closed his eyes drew in a couple of sharp, ragged breaths. “Stay away from me, Snart. Keep Lisa away. We’ll all be happier.”

He stepped forward and Len instinctively moved aside. Barry flung open the door and disappeared back into the bar. After a couple of seconds Len stepped out of the bathroom and left by the back door. Mick was standing in the shadows, waiting.

“Well?” he asked. 

Len grimaced and moved down the alley, heading back to where they left the car. “Not here,” he growled.


	5. Santini vs. Allen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The head of the Santini Family makes a move against Lisa to get to Barry.

They didn’t speak as they made their way back to the hideout. Once inside, Len headed straight to the kitchen where he grabbed a beer and downed half of it. Mick had followed, taking a seat at the table, waiting patiently. Lisa must have heard them come in because she entered only a few seconds behind Mick. 

Len took a deep breath. “Allen is a meta. He not only heals insanely fast, but he can somehow produce electricity.” Lisa gasped and Mick looked impressed. “That’s why he is avoiding you,” he said, looking at his sister. “He warned me that he can’t control it and the people he touches, skin-to-skin, end up dead.”

Lisa slowly dropped into a chair. For several seconds she stared at the table with unfocused eyes. “I don’t care,” she said finally. She took in a deep breath and looked at Len. “He’s my best friend, Lenny. I want him back. I don’t care if I can’t hug him. I just want him back.”

“If he’s dangerous...” Len began.

“No!” Lisa said, standing up. “Barry would never hurt me! He needs help, and I will not abandon him again!”

Len sighed as Lisa stormed off. He was going to have to find a way to convince Allen to let Lisa back in, while distancing himself so his attraction to the younger man didn’t become a problem, while also protecting Lisa from Allen’s powers. How the fuck was this his life?

* * *

Len tensed when he felt the end of a gun barrel dig into the small of his back. He exhaled slowly and set aside the pool cue before lifting his hands to show he was unarmed. He glanced across the bar room and saw Mick and Lisa in similar positions. Janet was behind the bar, arms crossed over her chest as she glared at the man pointing a shotgun at her. 

“Everyone out.”

Len’s heart hammered in his chest as Franco Santini walked into the bar, hands in the pockets of his slacks. He strolled over to the bar and sat down, facing out toward Lisa and Mick. He pulled his hands out of his pockets and braced his elbows on the bar behind him. The rest of the customers ran for the exit like their asses were on fire. Soon it was just Janet, Len, Lisa, Mick, Franco and his goons.

“Lisa Snart,” he drawled. “Or should I say Lisa Allen?”

Len itched to reach for his gun. Lisa tossed back her hair, giving the impression she was unconcerned. “Santini,” she sneered. “I hear my husband’s been giving you gray hairs.”

Mick snorted with amusement. Len bit back a groan, hating the fact that he wasn’t close enough to jump in front of her. Janet shifted slightly and met Len’s eyes. She gave him a quick wink. Len relaxed slightly, realizing she had an ace up her sleeve. He wished he knew what it was.

“Ah yes. Straight to business. Very professional of you,” Franco drawled. “Where can I find Bartholomew Allen?”

Lisa crossed her arms and crossed one leg over the other. “Get stuffed.”

Santini raised one eyebrow before looking at one of his henchmen and nodding. The guy grinned as he grabbed a handful of her hair and jerked her to her feet. Len immediately lunged forward, but the guy behind him slammed the butt of his gun into his neck. Len dropped to his knees, head swimming. Mick gave a loud growl and there was a short scuffle. Len raised his head, vision a bit blurry, but not so bad that he didn’t see a streak of yellow lightning circle the room. A moment later he felt his body jerk and suddenly he was on the floor behind the bar. Lisa and Mick were with him, both looking shocked and a little green. Janet was standing in the middle of them.

“Frankie, Frankie, Frankie. Haven’t you learned by now not to piss me off?”

That was Barry’s voice, Len realized. He shifted to stand, but Janet’s hand waved at them, a signal to stay down. 

“You sent my son to prison,” Santini hissed.

“You should be thanking me for not killing him,” Barry replied coolly.

“Thanking… I’m going to tear you limb from limb!” Santini growled.

Len and Mick exchanged pointed looks. They had been partners for a long time and had long ago developed wordless ways of communicating plans. Before they could execute their plans, though, Janet suddenly dropped down, grabbing both men to draw them into a huddle over Lisa. 

Gunfire erupted and the smell of hot lead and blood was soon filling the air. Len and Mick both tried to pull free, but Janet hissed at them to keep Lisa covered. Their protective instincts kept them in place. 

137 seconds. That’s how long the fight lasted. After eleven seconds of silence Janet finally released them and all four slowly rose up. Lisa gave a sharp gasp. Mick let out a whoosh of air. Len’s lips tightened into a grimace as he looked at the dead men littering the floor. Janet quickly ran around the end of the bar and into the kitchen. Len finally spotted Barry hunched over a pool table and hurried toward him.

“Don’t touch him!” Janet yelled, running back into the room. 

Lisa and Mick rushed over to where Len had come to a stop. All three watched as Janet pulled on yellow rubber dish washing gloves. She took hold of Barry’s upper arms and slowly pulled him around. He was barely able to stand upright, gasping for breath. Sparks were jumping erratically across his chest and arms. Blood covered his shirt and left leg. 

“Anything I need to dig out?” Janet asked worriedly. 

Barry slowly laid down on the pool table and nodded. “Hip.” The sparks were fading, leaving Barry pale and breathless.

Janet made short work of unbuttoning his jeans and jerking them and his briefs down to his knees. Neither of them paid any attention to the fact he was exposed to Len, Lisa and Mick. “Lisa, grab the first aid kit under the bar,” the older woman ordered.

Lisa didn’t seem to hear her, slowly inching closer to Barry. Mick turned and speed-walked back to the bar to grab it. Len latched onto Lisa’s arm and kept her a foot away from Barry. As soon as Mick brought back the kit, Janet opened it up and dug out a knife, long tweezers, gauze pads and alcohol. She sliced through his skin, widening the wound, then poured alcohol over the area before shoving the tweezers into it. Barry yelled loudly, but kept still. The sparks of electricity had stopped completely now. 

“Fuck,” Janet hissed. “It’s in the bone. Your skin’s gonna heal over it before I can get it out!”

Len released Lisa and moved forward, grabbing the tweezers from Janet. “I can get it,” he snarled. “You keep the wound open.”

“Move fast,” she warned. “Twenty seconds and his juice is going to build up again and hurt you.”

She dug her fingers into the wound and held it open as much as she could while Len wiggled the bullet back and forth to loosen it up. It took a few seconds but he got it free. Len watched in amazement as the wound sealed itself up once they let go. 

“Bastard!” Lisa screeched. They turned and watched her kick Franco Santini in the ribs. He was still alive, barely. Blood was steadily seeping from a gut shot. 

Barry slowly rolled off the table, almost falling. Len braced him, cringing slightly from the returning electric sting. Barry sucked in a few breaths before pulling up his pants and limping over to Santini. He was careful not to let Lisa touch him as he stared down at the mob boss. 

“I told you months ago that if you came after me, I’d hurt you,” Barry said plainly. “When you made threats against Lisa, I sent word that I’d kill you if you hurt her. You know I’m a man of my word. You should have listened.”

Santini coughed wetly and spat blood at Barry. “Fuck you,” he wheezed. “You sent my son to Iron Heights!”

“Your son wanted to rape me,” Barry pointed out. “Then he killed someone important to me. You’re a shitty father. You should have raised him better.” Barry crouched with a weak groan, but grinned viciously. “Because now?” he continued, “Now I’m going to set up Snart and his crew. I’m going to give them your empire. I’m going to make him king of Central. And _IF_ your son survives Iron Heights, it’s my _wife_ he’ll have to beg for mercy.”

Santini’s eyes widened. “Y-you c-can’t,” he gasped. 

Barry chuckled as he reached out his left hand. “I hope there’s a hell so you can watch me do it.” Then he placed his bare hand on Santini’s chest.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry deals with the aftermath of the bar fight. Len meets Barry's crew and receives an offer he never expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've messed around a bit with some character's powers. I made Barry's more uncontrollable and dangerous, but gave Shawna more control by allowing her to teleport to places she's been before without the line-of-sight aspect. Mark's powers are much the same, while Bivolo has a much wider range of emotions he can manipulate. I've also tweaked a few personalities. Axel is much more stable (although very childish and impish) because there is no James Jesse to influence him. Magenta is younger and had Barry for a role model so she's not nearly so angry. And for those who have been wondering, there is no reverse Flash, Zoom or Savitar here. Barry has other enemies to deal with.

There was a loud crackle of electricity and Santini’s body lurched and twitched for a couple of seconds before flopping back down. Barry slumped to the right, away from Lisa. She started to reach out for him, but Barry was across the room in the blink of an eye. “Don’t,” he hissed painfully. “I’ve got absolutely no control when I’m healing, Ladybug.”

Janet had wiped the blood off the rubber gloves and now stomped across the bar. She helped Barry to his feet, holding tight to his hips as he swayed weakly. She glared at Mick and Len. “Mop and bucket are in the kitchen. Get to cleaning,” she snapped as she helped guide Barry to a booth near the back. 

He groaned as he laid down on the tattered seat but managed to smile up at her. “Thanks, sweetheart,” he mumbled.

Janet rolled her eyes fondly. “Rest. I’ll grab some food to help you along.”

“Call Mark,” Barry suggested. “He’ll bring the others.”

Janet nodded and pulled a phone out of Barry’s pocket, dialing a number. “Hey. It’s Janet. Allen is hurt. I’ve got eight Santini men, including Franco himself, that need disposing of.” She listened for a moment before glancing back at Len. “Good. Got company, too. Allen’s vouched for them, so no dick measuring contests, got it? See you then.”

Janet put the phone back in Barry’s pocket and looked at Mick with raised eyebrows. “You deaf? Mop. Bucket. Kitchen. Now. Unless you want my foot up your ass.”

Mick grumbled but headed toward the kitchen. Lisa moved closer to Barry, Len right by her side. Janet shot them warning looks before packing up the first aid kit and returning it to the bar. Barry sighed as he caught sight of the siblings. He grabbed the back of the seat with one hand and the table with the other. With a pained grunt he pulled himself backwards until he was half-sitting against the wall, his legs stretched out on the booth.

“So,” he began, looking at Len, “wanna rule Central?”

Len’s jaw dropped. “You seriously think it’s that easy?”

There was a loud BAMPH! sound from behind the Snarts and they spun to see four people standing in the center of the bar. A thin guy with oily dark hair immediately began checking for pulses in the bodies. A teen with thick black hair followed along behind him checking pockets. A pretty black woman hurried toward the booth, leaning over the back of the seat to flash a little light in Barry’s eyes. Len noticed she was careful not to actually touch Barry.

“Dizzy? Nausea? Slurred speech?” she asked.

Barry shook his head. “I’m fine, Boo.”

The fourth man walked toward them, his hazel eyes locked on Barry. “Red,” the guy growled. “You couldn’t wait until everyone else was ready?”

Barry snorted. “My wife was in danger. You know I won’t risk her.”

The guy glanced at Lisa for a moment, then at Len, before turning back to Barry. He placed a knee on the bench between Barry’s legs and leaned forward, sliding his lips along Barry’s gently. “You scared me, Red,” he whispered, pressing their foreheads together. “You should have let me come with.”

Len’s jaw clenched as he watched the intimate moment play out. Barry raised a hand to the guy’s cheek and smiled slightly. “Not about to lose you, too,” Barry said. “You and Lisa, Mark. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep the both of you safe. I won’t compromise on this.”

Mark sighed and nodded, standing back up. He turned to Lisa and held out a hand. “Mark Mardon. So, you’re Barry’s wife.”

Lisa eyed him curiously before shaking his hand. “And you’re his boyfriend,” she guessed.

“Is that gonna be a problem?” he asked.

Lisa laughed softly. “Barry and I married for platonic reasons. I’ve always known he’s gay.”

Mark nodded and relaxed. The teenager wandered over and dropped several wallets on the table. “Almost 8 grand. Can I have that new expansion pack for my game?”

Mark grinned and ruffled the kid’s hair. “Sure, Axel. Call Hart and ask if the site is ready.”

The thin guy had finished stacking the bodies on top of one another and was now fiddling with his sunglasses. “Already did. He’s ready whenever Shawna is.”

Shawna walked over and grimaced. “I deserve a trip to Paris for this one,” she grumbled, gingerly laying a hand on one of the bodies. “I have brains on the bottom of my shoes. _Brains_ , boss!”

“Whatever you want, Boo,” Barry said tiredly, eyes closed. 

Len, Mick and Lisa watched in amazement as she suddenly disappeared in a puff of black smoke. Seconds later, she was back and taking another body away. Barry groaned as he sat up. Janet was back with a large plate of fries and sandwiches. Barry dug in, eating half of it in the blink of an eye. 

Mark sat down beside Barry and gently carded his fingers through Barry’s hair before sliding the arm around his waist and resting his head on Barry’s shoulder. He looked at Len with a wicked grin. “So, do we call you Leonard or just Snart?” he asked.

“Call him Cold,” Barry suggested calmly, eyes on his plate. “Captain Cold.”

Axel whistled low and Mark’s eyes widened. Barry shrugged as he slowed down to eat at a more normal pace. “I’m giving him the gun and making him king. He should have an inspiring moniker.”

Len felt a surge of alarm as the strangers looked at him with respect (and some awe). What the hell was he getting into?

* * *

The bar was clean, not a single speck of blood remaining, and Barry was fully healed. All within an hour’s time. Len wasn’t sure whether he should be impressed or scared by how efficient these people were. Len watched as Barry moved to the bar and hopped up to sit on the top. Mark took a seat on the stool by Barry’s left leg, draping an arm across Barry’s thigh. 

“Shawna, I want you to drop Roy, Hart and Axel at the ware house. Take Lisa home with you,” Barry said firmly. Lisa started to object but Barry sent her a pleading look and she hushed. _Gotta get him to teach me that_ , Len thought to himself. “Guys, check on the girls, make sure everyone knows the Santini’s are dead. Keep the softer ones in until we’re sure there’s no threat.”

The three of them nodded and linked hands. Axel held out a hand to Lisa, who reluctantly took it. Shawna gave Barry a wink before touching Lisa’s shoulder and teleporting them all away. Barry turned to look at Janet. “I’ll lock up if you want to go check in.”

She gave Barry a relieved nod and tossed him a set of keys before leaving through the backdoor. Barry gave a tired sigh and dragged a hand down his face. Mark turned toward Barry and reached up lightly stroke his cheek. “Babe?” he whispered.

Barry smiled softly and turned his face to kiss the guy’s fingertips. “Just low on energy,” he said. He groaned as he stretched his back out before focusing on Len and Mick. “So, the Santini family is mostly dead. By the end of the week, they’ll all be dead. That’s gonna leave a vacuum in the criminal world. I want you to fill it.”

Len stared at Barry with amusement. “And how do you propose I do that? I don’t have powers.”

Barry shrugged casually. “Who needs powers when you have tech, intelligence and a crew?”

Len stared at Barry expressionlessly. “My crew numbers three,” he reminded him.

Barry grinned, eyes sparking with tiny bolts of lightning. “Your crew numbers a hundred times that. All with the powers or skills necessary to make you the ruler of Central.”


	7. Welcome Home, Captain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry brings Len, Mick and Lisa into the Rogues.

Len sat down behind the desk and took a deep breath. He was slowly become numb to the shocking things happening around him. A month ago he was a respected, but minor, thief. His home life revolved around protecting his sister and keeping Mick from burning shit down. Now… Now he was a kingpin? 

**Hours Earlier:**

Like Barry promised, by the end of the week there wasn’t a single member of the Santini mob to be found, dead or alive. On Friday Barry called Len, Mick and Lisa and asked them to meet him at an address just outside Central the next morning, dressed to impress. When they got there, the young kid, Axel, was waiting at an iron gate with a sign that read ‘Caution: Sinkholes Ahead’. He smirked, hopped in the back beside Mick and buckled in. 

“Head on up the road. It leads to the house,” Axel prompted. “And when you get out, don’t say a word. Just walk right up the steps and into the foyer. Barry has it all set up. You just gotta look like and act like you own the place.”

“Why’s that?” Lisa demanded.

“Cause ya do,” Axel snorted. “Look, most of the crew have always believed that there was someone behind the scenes, pulling the strings and giving the orders. Barry’s way of keeping the core group safe. Now, he’s gonna let everyone believe it’s your brother. He’s making him the head of the Rogues.”

Len’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. The Rogues? Shit! Anyone with a finger in any crime in all the gem cities had heard of the Rogues. Nameless, faceless, they were like ghosts. Most didn’t even believe they really existed. Len certainly hadn’t. They were said to be the ones who took out the Darbynians in Keystone last year. They were also credited with pulling off the Kahndaq diamond heist in Opal City. Len had been very disappointed over that. He’d actually been planning his own heist when it just disappeared, only to turn up several months later in a private collection in Greece.

“Why?” Mick growled.

Axel shrugged. “Lisa,” he answered before turning his attention out the window. 

The mansion came into view and Len almost purred with delight. It was practically a fucking castle. All it lacked was a goddamn moat. He was in love, instantly. Lisa seemed in awe and Mick grinned widely. Axel jumped out and opened Lisa’s door for her before bounding up the steps to open the front doors. Len noticed several people milling about on the grounds and a couple loitering by the doors. Wiping his face of any emotion, he got out and walked around the car. He wrapped Lisa’s arm around his and headed inside, Mick right behind him.

Inside the foyer stood Barry, Mark and an unknown young woman with long ebony hair and perfect posture. Barry stepped forward, hands in his pockets. When he was only a foot away, he stopped and gave Len a deferential head nod.

“Captain, welcome home. Everything’s been prepared, just like you asked.”

Len let a small smirk tug at the corners of his lips. “Excellent.”

Barry’s eyes twinkled with mischief. “Do you want to settle in or straight to business?”

“Now Barry,” Len drawled, “you should know by now that I’m all business.”

Barry nodded and waved over two young girls. Len recognized them as working girls from the night he tracked Barry to Kronos. “Tonya, Gina, show Lisa to her rooms, please. Inform the cook that the Captain has arrived and dinner will be delayed one hour while he checks everything over.”

The girls nodded happily and waited for Lisa to follow them to the staircase. Len looked at Mick who nodded and followed. He might trust Barry, to an extent, but he wasn’t letting Lisa out of his sight without some protection. Barry turned to look at Mark and the woman. 

“Mark, Bette, check in with security and have them do a full sweep now that the Captain has arrived. I’ll give him the tour.”

Len shrugged off his overcoat and tossed it to Axel who was leaning against a wall. Barry turned to head up the staircase and Len followed, his eyes sweeping over every inch of the house he could see. He noted the position of every camera, every armed guard and even the various keypads and alarms. At the top of the stairs Barry turned left and headed down a hallway. They passed four rooms before coming to a large oak door with a keypad on the left. 

“Passcode is Lewis Snart’s birthday,” Barry murmured under his breath.

Len’s jaw clenched. “Why?” he growled, typing in the numbers.

Barry opened the door and stepped back so Len could enter first. He did so carefully, looking for any threats in the lavish office. He turned to watch Barry enter and shut the door. “Because that’s the last set of numbers anyone would expect you to use,” he explained. 

Len walked around the room, carefully checking for cameras or microphones. Finding nothing he turned back to Barry who was watching him with approval. “So, am I ever going to get an explanation?” he asked tersely.

Barry walked over to the desk and sat on the edge. “You’ve heard of the Rogues.”

Len nodded. “Always thought it was a myth.”

“Well, you were myth-taken,” Barry quipped. Len raised one eyebrow. Barry rolled his eyes and chuckled. “I’m so going to have to make you watch Buffy. Okay, time for a bit of history. When the particle accelerator blew a few years ago, it changed the DNA of a lot of people. We gained powers. You’ve seen mine and Shawna’s. Mark can create and control weather. Storms, blizzards, fierce winds, even tornadoes. Bette can make things explode with a touch. Roy can control emotions. Hartley can turn sound waves into a weapon.

There are many others in Central and a few who have left town. I’ve gathered several of them together. In all, eighteen people in this house are metahumans and we are the true Rogues. There are another ten in Central or other cities pulling jobs or gathering information for later. We have over forty minors with powers who are being trained and educated. We keep them away from Rogue business as much as possible. There are also over two hundred normal humans who work for us. Some keep the house clean and running smoothly, some are security. Most are prostitutes or have jobs at various businesses in Keystone and Central where they keep an eye on cops, other gangs and people of interest.

When I realized I had these powers and that there were others like me, I began organizing. I gathered those I could trust and we set about making changes. Turning Central and Keystone into places that were safer for us. Until recently I was content to leave the Santini Family alone. They served a purpose in keeping other mobs out of our towns and keeping the cops from looking too closely into us. That’s no longer an option. So, it’s time the Rogues had a true leader. You.”

“Why me?” Len asked, reeling from what he was learning, but careful not to show it.

“I’m not a leader,” Barry said. “I’m emotional. Impulsive. If I could keep my emotions out of business, I wouldn’t have offed Santini like that. It would have been better to work out a deal, keep the peace. But the moment I got word he was targeting Lisa, I wanted his blood. Usually Mark and Hartley can reason with me, but they aren’t leaders, either. They can’t see the bigger picture. But you, Len? You’re a planner. You’re patient. You’re cool under pressure. The only thing you lacked was backup. So, I’m offering it to you. You lead and the Rogues will follow.”

“No one is going to believe that a guy without any powers is in charge of people who can control the weather,” Len pointed out.

Barry stood and walked over to a trunk by a small sofa. He flipped the top open and reached inside to pull out some sort of futuristic looking gun. He turned and shot at the ficus plant by the window. Len jumped in shock as the gun coated it in thick ice.

“A friend made this,” Barry said casually. “It shoots a beam that freezes whatever it touches. Basically, it’s a coldgun.” He held it out, grip first, to Len. “I suggest you wear the gloves and parka Cisco made, as well. Frostbite’s a bitch to heal.”

Len took the gun, surprised by the light weight. He looked it over before taking the gloves Barry held out next. The gloves were a bit stiff, but would loosen up with use. He hefted the gun a couple of times, getting used to the feel before firing at the other ficus plant. Cold shot up his arm but it wasn’t painful. A slow grin overtook his face. 

“Nice,” he purred.

Barry retrieved a second gun from the trunk and grinned brightly. “Mick might like this one.” he shot a stream of fire at the frozen ficus nearest him. 

Len’s grin widened. “Mick’s gonna love it.”


	8. An Invitation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Len settles into his new role.

The next couple of days were exhausting. Len spent every waking moment either practicing with his coldgun or learning everything there was to know about the Rogues. Barry hadn’t been exaggerating. Although the entire group was referred to as the Rogues, the core group was very small and consisted of Barry, Mardon, Shawna, Axel and Bivolo. They were the only ones who knew the truth about Len, Barry and the operation. There were a lot of people who either worked directly for the Rogues or were informants. There were also a handful of legal businesses, like the shopping center near the college and two clubs, including Kronos, which, despite it’s seedy look, was a big money maker. 

He learned the history and powers of each of the powered Rogues. Besides the ones he had met there was Tony Woodward, Danton Black and Ralph Dibney who were in Keystone. Jeremy Tell, Kendra Saunders and Carter Hall who were in Starling City. The rest of the metas were in Central, but Len hadn’t met Ramon, Snow, Raymond or Grodd, yet. Barry said he would meet them when they touched base in a couple of weeks. At the moment they were checking up on a few missing metas. Barry was very insistent that Len never meet Grodd, who was a telepathic gorilla. 

Not only that, but it was a telepathic gorilla with anger management issues. What the actual fuck?!

Mick often joined them at some point in the day, but usually only for target practice or going over security protocols. Mick had heard about the training program for the young metas and quickly gotten involved in that. He always did have a soft spot for kids. When he wasn’t with Barry, Len spent time with Lisa, who was settling in beautifully. He was more than a little amused by how much shopping she had managed to accomplish in only a week. The morning after they moved in Barry had presented Lisa with a black credit card and told her it was her own personal account. He explained that Lisa’s name was already on half the accounts he had and she had no limits. Len privately urged Barry to not give her free reign like that, but Barry had shaken his head. 

_“This isn’t something new, Len,” he said calmly. “Ladybug has always been on my accounts. She’s my beneficiary for half of the life insurance policies I have. Half of everything I have managed to accumulate is hers. What isn’t hers, is Mark’s. I need to know that the people I care for most are taken care of if something happens to me.”_

In short, Len had gotten accustomed to spending hours with Barry each day and every evening as Barry got him up to speed. So, he could possibly be excused for not thinking it through when he walked into Barry’s office without knocking to ask about some property in Coast City. For two seconds he didn’t even notice anything unusual. Then he did. Oh god, did he ever.

Mark was sprawled on the couch, head back and eyes shut. His mouth was slack with pleasure and his hands were buried in Barry’s hair. Barry was on his knees in front of Mark, his hands running up and down Mark’s naked legs. His lips were wrapped tight around the thick, hard cock jutting from between Mark’s thighs. Barry’s own cock was exposed and dripping. 

“Fuck, Red!” Mark moaned wantonly. “Can’t wait to be buried in that tight ass! Gonna make you scream my name!”

Len shook off his stupor and silently sped back out of the office. He immediately made his way to his own office, which was closer than his bedroom. The moment he was inside, he locked the door, leaning back against it, and shoved his jeans down his thighs. Eyes closed, it only took a few minutes to bring himself off, picturing himself in Mark’s place. 

Len groaned as he realized what he had just done. Not only had he just jerked off faster than he had since he hit puberty, but he had done so to the thought of his brother-in-law blowing him! His brother-in-law who was already in a relationship with another man, who worked for him, now! Talk about a conflict of interests!

Disgusted with himself, Len quickly cleaned up. He flopped down onto his sofa and dragged his hands down his face. He needed to get laid. It was as simple as that. He’d had a long dry spell and taking someone to bed would nip this in the bud. Right? Right.

* * *

It wasn’t hard to find someone willing to warm his bed. It was almost embarrassingly easy. A third of the people he ran into around the estate were hookers, after all. And since he knew Shawna made sure to test them regularly for disease, he soon had a steady pool of eager bodies to fuck. 

The hard part came from realizing none of them could actually distract him from who he really wanted. Every minute spent with Barry only deepened his attraction to the younger man. Every interaction he witnessed between Mark and Barry increased the jealousy he felt. 

Len did his best to focus on business. Just as Barry predicted, there was an attempt at grabbing power from several sides. Damian Darhk was the most persistent. He had made three attempts to bring in his own crew from Starling, where he was under a lot of pressure from some vigilante with an arrow fetish. His last attempt had ended with Barry shoving a vibrating hand into Darhk’s back and severing his spinal cord. A Russian mob tried to get a foothold in, but turning a guy into an icicle made short work of them. The cops in Central also attempted to look strong by forming an anti-meta taskforce. That one was quickly hampered by the public, who saw the Rogues as protectors, not criminals. All in all, Len’s days and nights were fairly occupied. It was just his heart that felt strangely empty.

* * *

“Hey Boss,” Mark greeted, walking into Len’s office, shutting the door and dropping into the chair in front of the desk.

Len lifted one eyebrow as he stared at the meta. “Can I help you?” he asked coolly. He couldn’t hide his animosity completely, but he did make an effort to keep it toned down. It wasn’t Mark’s fault that Len had a hard on for his boyfriend. If anything, Mark seemed completely unaware of Len’s attraction.

Mark tilted his head to the left. “Figured we should talk now that things are settling down a bit.”

“About what?” Len drawled.

“About you. About Barry. About the way you always look like you’re picturing him naked and begging.”

Len tensed but managed to keep his expression blank. “Your jealousy is showing, Mardon.”

Mark chuckled and gave a one shoulder shrug. “Jealous? Not a chance. I’m the only person in the world Barry can touch without worry. Even if he didn’t like me, he needs me. Luckily for me, he does like me.”

“Then I guess you have nothing to worry about,” Len snarled, losing a bit of control over his temper.

“You misunderstand me,” Mark said. “I’m not complaining. I’m not jealous. I’m… curious.”

Len clenched his hands under the edge of the desk. “Curiosity can be dangerous.”

Mark sighed as if annoyed and stood up. “Let me make myself clear. I like Barry. Barry likes me. Barry also likes you.” Mark smirked slightly. “I’m not blind to your body, either. If you’re interested, come to our room tonight after dinner.”

“Barry can’t touch anyone but you,” Len pointed out as Mark walked toward the door.

Mark glanced back over his shoulder and winked. “Like I said, if you’re interested, come to our room.”


	9. Let's Talk Poly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark has an offer for Len.

Len stared at the door to Barry and Mardon’s room for several seconds. All afternoon he had struggled to focus on business, but all he could think of what Mardon’s invitation meant. What was the meta up to? What was his angle? Len knew all about Barry’s powers and the dangers involved in touching him. Barry had made absolutely sure Lisa, Mick and Len understood how dangerous it was. Even with protective gear the built up of electricity would eventually seep through even the thickest of gloves. So why the invitation? Was Mardon looking to gloat? Was he an exhibitionist looking for someone to watch them? Len couldn’t do that. There was no way he could watch them (again) without it tearing him up that he couldn’t touch the man he was halfway in love with. Len took a deep breath before reluctantly knocking.

A couple of seconds passed before the door opened. Mardon smiled and waved him in. Len entered and looked around. He’d never been inside the room before. It was surprisingly spartan. The bed was large and on a raised platform. There were two dressers on the other side of the room. A wooden bench was placed near the window. Surprisingly, there was a huge claw-footed tub near the fireplace. Len turned as the door across the room opened and Barry walked in. He paused, eyes widening in surprise for a moment before his expression cleared. 

“Hey,” Barry greeted. “Did you want me?”

Len bit back a groan at the wording, doing his best to ignore Mardon’s quiet chuckle. “I was invited.”

Barry tensed and looked at his lover. “Mark?”

Mardon closed the door and locked it before crossing the room. “I thought we should all talk,” he said calmly.

Barry’s cheeks burned a deep red. “Mark!” he hissed.

Mardon rolled his eyes. “Red, give me one good reason why not. I told you I’m okay with whatever you two decide.” He reached up and cupped Barry’s cheek gently. “I love you. You know I do. And I know how much you love me.” He exhaled softly. “And I know you are more than a little in love with him. Just like he’s in love with you.”

Len tensed and was about to leave, but Barry looked over at him and he found himself frozen in place by the unadulterated want in those green eyes. Len had never been a coward and refused to be one now. He swallowed his concerns and walked across the room. He stopped a few inches away. 

“He’s not wrong,” Len admitted cautiously.

Mardon smiled and reached out to wrap his hand around Barry’s wrist. Barry tensed but didn’t pull away when Mardon then pulled him closer to Len. “I want you to be happy,” he said softly.

Barry looked at Mark. “You do make me happy,” he said firmly.

“But you could be happier,” Mardon pointed out. He looked at Len with a surprisingly gentle smile. “We all could be happier.”

Mardon reached out with his other hand and grabbed Len’s. “Do you know why Barry and I can touch without damage? Our powers negate each other’s. As long as I’m touching him, so can you.” 

Len’s jaw dropped. He could touch Barry? Without danger?

“So,” Mark continued, placing Len’s hand on Barry’s chest, “here’s what I propose. See, I’m a greedy man. I know what I want and I go after it with every intention of having it. I want Barry. I want you. I want to have you fuck Barry into me. I want to suck you off while Barry fucks you. I want that smart mouth wrapped around my cock while Barry blows your mind with the way he sucks you off. I want both of you in the bed, exhausted and wrung dry, me in the middle, nice and warm.” 

Mark smirked at the gobsmacked looks the two men were giving him. “What do you two want?”

Barry whimpered softly. “I want both of you,” he admitted, voice breathless and pupils dilated. “However I can get it, I want you both.”

Len inched closer. His hand tingled slightly, but he was pretty sure that was more because Barry seemed to be shivering than because his powers were at harmful levels. “I saw you,” he admitted. “Last month, I came by your office to talk and you were going down on Mark. I… I’ve wanted you since the first moment I saw you. Honestly, I never gave any thought to Mark, sexually. Not until this morning when he invited me to your room. Can’t get it out of my head now. The two of you? With me? Sounds like a dream come true, Scarlet.”

Barry licked his lips and gave Len a wicked smile. He quickly stepped aside, no longer touching either man. “Show me,” he ordered.

Len barely had time to turn toward Mark before Mark was kissing the hell out of him. Large hands gripped his hips tightly, pulling him in close as Mark’s tongue swept through his mouth. Len quickly got with the program, gripping the short hairs on Mark’s nape and tugging his head for a better position. He could feel Mark’s erection grinding against his hip and it sent his blood surging south. Len backed the weather meta up until he was pressed against the door, shoving his thigh between Mark’s legs and giving him some friction. Mark moaned roughly and reached around to kneed Len’s ass. 

“Fuck, I knew you’d be hot,” Mark growled, tilting his head back to let Len nip and suck at his neck. “Goddamn! Tell me you’re clean. Don’t want to have leave to go get condoms. Want you to fuck me raw.”

“I’m clean,” Len promised. “But I don’t do bareback.”

“Have to with Barry,” Mark managed to say between gasps. “He vibrates. Tears a condom to shreds.”

Len pulled back and looked over at Barry with startled eyes. “Vibrates?”

Barry was sitting on the end of the bed, completely naked and slowly stroking himself. He held up one hand and reminded Len of how his body vibrated. “Can’t control it at all when I’m excited. We learned the hard way not to use condoms. Luckily, I’m immune to disease and Mark gets regular check-ups.”

“You do _not_ want to explain to Shawna that you need pieces of latex removed from your ass,” Mark chuckled.

Mark slipped away from Len and moved across the room to stand by Barry. He slowly disrobed, revealing tight abs, a rounded ass and a nice, thick cock. “You can wear one with me, if you feel the need,” he said huskily. “But if you want to fuck Barr, it’s gotta be bareback.”

Len swallowed as he stared at the two incredibly sexy men who were offering him more than he ever dreamed. He reached up and began unbuttoning his dress shirt. “As if I could say no to you two,” he purred.


	10. Conflict

_His hard cock sliding in and out of Mark’s hot mouth._

_Barry’s tongue teasing him open while Mark pounded into Barry from behind._

_Barry stretched out on the bed, throat bulging as Mark fucked into his mouth._

_The tight, hot squeeze as he slid into Barry._

_Lips and teeth teasing his nipples while three fingers stretched his hole and vibrated against his prostrate._

_Two hot, wet tongues cleaning the cum from his stomach and cock._

_Long legs tangled with his._

_Strong arms holding him against a muscular chest._

Len stretched and yawned as he slowly woke up. The dreams were fading but left his mind hazy. 

“Morning, boss.”

Len’s eyes snapped open and he shot upright. 

“Whoa! Calm down. You’re safe.”

Len twitched slightly before turning to look at Mark. He was wearing a fluffy robe and pouring coffee from a carafe. He walked over to the bed and held it out slowly, like he was facing a wild animal. Len forced himself to relax and take the cup. A quick glance to the side showed Barry was still asleep, but there was a barrier of pillows between them.

“Didn’t want to risk you rolling over and getting zapped while I went for breakfast,” Mark explained. 

“Wasn’t a dream,” Len mumbled to himself.

Mark chuckled and sat down on the side of the bed before leaning in to lick a bruise on Len’s shoulder. “Not a dream,” he agreed. 

Something warm settled in his stomach and he lifted the coffee to his lips and took a sip. “So, now what?” he asked, projecting a calm he didn’t quite feel.

“Well, it’s only 6am,” Mark informed him. “You don’t have any meetings until 10. Want a blow job?”

Len tried to hide his surprise, but it must have shown through anyway because Mark sighed softly. 

“Did you think this was a one time thing?” Mark took Len’s cup and set it aside before rising to his knees and crawling onto Len’s lap. “We intend to keep you, boss,” he said hopefully. “If you still want to fuck other people, we’ll understand.”

“But we’re hoping you’ll join us as much as you’re willing to,” Barry mumbled, rolling over and stretching his long limbs. He slowly sat up, winching slightly. “Damn, you two really worked me over.”

Mark chuckled and leaned to the side to give Barry a kiss. He grimaced and waved Barry away. “Morning breath, Red. You taste like sweat and cum.”

Barry laughed and sped out of the room. They heard the shower run, then the sink. A few minutes later the speedster was back, slightly damp and smelling fresh. He plastered himself to Mark’s back and blew a raspberry on his shoulder. Barry smiled wickedly at Len. “Good morning, _Captain_.”

Len couldn’t help chuckling at the two men. He had no idea they could act so playful. Len reached up and pulled Mark in for a brief kiss before doing the same to Barry. “Someone said something about a blow job?” he prompted.

Barry and Mark exchanged wicked grins before pushing Len back down on the bed. They settled on either side of his hips, the fingers of Barry’s right hand laced with the fingers of Mark’s left as they both leaned in to lick and kiss at his hardening shaft.

* * *

“So,” Lisa began, a sly smirk on her face as she strolled into Len’s office and perched on the window seat. “A little birdie told me that you haven’t slept in your room for over a week, and that the two weeks before that you spent three or four nights in a certain speedy man's room.”

Len lifted one eyebrow as he spun his chair to face her. “I didn’t realize we were keeping track of each other’s sleeping arrangements.”

Lisa snorted and shot him a smirk. “Well, it’s not every day a girl learns her brother is sleeping with her husband and his side piece.”

Len studied Lisa carefully. “And?”

After a couple of seconds Lisa rolled her eyes. “Oh, come off it, Lenny. You’ve been eyeing Barry since you met him. Do you really think I would have a problem with it?”

Len shrugged one shoulder. “Like you said, he’s your husband.”

“Pfft. He’s my best friend. We gossip and shop and annoy Hartley together,” she pointed out. “Our marriage is a… a rom-com plot twist, at best.”

“Then why ask?” he questioned.

Lisa sighed and moved from the window seat to Len’s lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Please don’t hurt him,” she whispered. “Please don’t get hurt, yourself.”

Len cradled Lisa to him closely. “I’ll do my best,” he promised. And he would, because honestly, the past couple of weeks had been one of the happiest of his life, so far. Len had never had a relationship that consisted of more than just sex. Not only were Barry and Mark both incredible lovers, but they were, well, fun. They teased him and each other. They watched cheesy sci-fi, or told stupid jokes, or even just lounged and cuddled when they were tired. They told him about their day and asked about his. It was surprisingly easy and comfortable.

* * *

Len was about to head to dinner when there was a knock on his door. He slid the cold gun a bit closer, just in case, before calling out for whoever it was to enter. The door opened and two people walked inside. The woman had silver-white hair and eerie blue eyes. Her leather duster was open, revealing a dark blue bustier, leather pants and high heeled boots. The guy had dark hair, and dark eyes. He was unshaven but not shabby looking. His leather outfit was a bit scuffed and there was a glowing, sun-shaped object over his heart.

Len leaned back a bit and eyed the strangers calmly, hiding the tension growing inside him. “Yes?” he drawled.

The woman smirked and sauntered over to the desk and sat on the corner. “You’re cuter than I thought you’d be,” she purred.

The man rolled his eyes and pressed up against her back. “Babe, you know better than to flirt with the boss.”

She gave an exaggerated pout even as she leaned closer to Len. “You don’t mind, do you, Captain Cold?”

Before Len could respond there was a rush of wind flinging her hair in her face. The unknown guy jumped as a small cloud appeared over his head and zapped him with a tiny lightning bolt. “Mardon, you jackass!” the guy snarled.

Len relaxed as Barry and Mark walked into the office, both men looking amused. Barry moved to stand behind Len while Mark draped himself over an armchair, one leg hanging off the arm and swinging back and forth. 

“Caity-cat, Ronnie, you were told to wait for us,” Barry chastised with a smirk.

The woman gave Barry one of her pouts. “We got bored.” Mark snorted but remained silent, otherwise. 

The guy was busy swatting at the cloud. “Dammit, Mardon!”

Len sighed, recognizing their names, and sat up, tapping his pinkie ring on the desk for their attention. “Killer Frost, Deathstorm, welcome,” he drawled. “Anything to report?”

Caitlin sighed and flipped her hair back into place. “Amunet is looking to expand,” she began. “Meta trafficking is bringing in big bucks. General Wade Eiling is looking to become her best customer.”

Ronnie gave up on getting rid of the cloud since it seemed to have stopped trying to shock him. “He’s looking for any metas he can get his hands on so he can experiment on them. He’s looking to replicate their powers in his soldiers.”

Len could almost feel the tension that rose up in Barry. Mark’s eyes hardened, like stones. 

“Goddammit! That bitch should know better!” Mark snarled.

“Amunet cares about nothing more than lining her own pockets,” Barry pointed out. 

“She snatched a dozen that we know of. Including Mags,” Caitlin told them, smirking. “You know she’s always found the girl interesting.”

Len tensed as Barry’s fingers sparked with little flickers of lightning. Mark must have caught nuances that Len didn’t because he stiffened, eyes locked onto Barry. Len stood and placed a hand on the hilt of his gun. “I’m sure you’re both tired. Get some food, rest and we’ll talk in the morning,” he ordered.

Caitlin and Ronnie looked put out but silently made their way out of the office. Len crossed the room and locked the door. By the time he turned around, Mark was gripping Barry’s upper arms tightly. Len carefully made his way back over to them. 

“I’ll kill her.” Barry’s entire body looked electrified. “I’ll rip her apart,” he growled.

“We’ll get her back,” Mark promised, sounding alarmed. “Red. Barry! Look at me! I swear it! We’ll get her back!”

“Who is Mags?” Len asked warily.

Barry began to blur around the edges and Mark sighed. “Sorry, babe,’ he whispered. Suddenly Barry went as stiff as a board, wisps of steam pouring off him as a sheen of ice crawled up his body. With a soft grunt, Barry collapsed to the floor. Mark exhaled heavily before grabbing his phone and dialing. “Vibe? Dampeners to the Boss’ office, now!”

“What the hell did you do?” Len demanded.

“He’s fine. I just knocked him out,” Mark said, beginning to pace frantically.

Len managed to not jump as a big blue swirl of light appeared in the room and a young hispanic man with long hair stepped into view. “Cuff him,” Mark ordered. “Take him to the cell and watch him!”

Mark turned to Len, a hint of desperation in his eyes, as soon as Vibe was gone. “He’ll kill everyone between him and Mags, or get killed trying. Please, boss! We have to get Mags back before Barry finds a way out of the cell!”

Len had always been a quick thinker. He rapidly ran through a dozen partial plans before a name flickered through his head. “Have Mick meet us in the garage,” he growled. As soon as possible, he was getting some fucking answers!


	11. Grodd

By the time he and Mark got to the garage, Mick was waiting, heatgun in hand. “Snart. Wha’s up?” he asked.

Len fixed his eyes on Mark. “I need to know everything about this Mags kid and what she means to Barry. I need to know everything about Amunet. And I want you to take me to Grodd.”

Mark’s jaw dropped and his eyes went wide. “Grodd… Boss! You have no idea...”

Len stepped forward, chest to chest with Mark. “You choose,” he growled. “Grodd or Barry? Because one of them is going.”

Mark stared at Len helplessly for several seconds before wilting. He unlocked the doors of a 4 door pickup truck and waved them into it. He started the engine and took a deep breath. “How much has Barry told you about the formation of the Rogues?” he asked, almost peeling out of the garage.

Mick looked between them curiously from the backseat, but kept his mouth shut. Len turned enough to look at Mark fully. “Once he discovered he had powers, he began looking for others. Got you organized and created the Rogues. You cleaned out the undesirables and set up businesses and rules.”

Mark grimaced. “Clean and sweet story,” he said softly. “It wasn’t quite that easy.”

“Didn’t think it would be,” Len shrugged. “I’m sure there was a lot blood and sweat involved.”

Mark snorted. “Rivers of blood,” he corrected. “Not every meta we met was a team player. Some were white hats. Real ‘law and order’ types. There was another speedster. Young kid, son of a cop. Called himself the Streak. Kept trying to lock us up in this underground prison. Managed it with a few, like Hartley and Vibe. Another do-gooder called himself Double Down. Kind of like a real-life Gambit, only his playing cards came from tats on his skin he could throw like knives. Anyway, there were a few who opposed us. Some we convinced to relocate.”

“Those who didn't?” Mick asked.

Mark eyed him coldly. “CCPD is still gunning for whoever snapped the Streak’s neck and left him paralyzed.”

They reached the gate and Mark created a strong wind to open it. Soon they were on the highway heading toward Central. He took a deep breath and continued his history lesson. “There were a few too dangerous to work with. Kyle Nimbus could transform into a poisonous gas. Tried to kill Barry twice before Frost managed to freeze him in mist form. He’s currently stored in a mason jar, buried in ten feet of concrete. Not gonna lie. There is a lot of blood on mine and Barry’s hands. We never killed anyone who didn’t deserve it and we only killed once without giving at least one second chance. Barry’s a firm believer in our rules. No killing innocents, protect one another and follow orders. The one thing that will earn you a casket without hesitation, is hurting a kid. Magenta, especially.”

“Who is she to Barry?” Len asked.

“His salvation,” Mark answered. “She’s twelve, boss. She was nine when she found Barry, newly powered and half alive. She nursed him back to health, almost getting fried a few times until she started using insulated gloves to touch him. Hid him from her foster parents and the cops.” Mark swallowed audibly. “Took a few beatings for sneaking out food. When Barry was better, he went looking for her to thank her. Found the foster mother tarting her up for a ‘date’ with the husband. First ones Barry killed without remorse.”

“Good,” Mick growled furiously. Len nodded firmly. That kind of scum deserved whatever torture Barry gave them. 

Mark smiled slightly. “Anyway, I met Barry through Mags. She pick-pocketed me and I followed her. Wasn’t gonna hurt her. Just wanted to make sure she had a safe place. Leave her some more money. Ended up pressed against a wall by Barry. He was shocked when his powers didn’t affect me. I was just as shocked when he suddenly hugged me tight and started crying. Kissed him to shut him up.”

“Cute,” Len smirked.

“Anyway, soon we were searching for others, building up the Rogues and protecting each other’s backs.”

“And fucking,” Mick pointed out with a grin.

“And fucking like bunnies,” Mark laughed. He sobered quickly. “Mags is Barry’s family in all but blood. She’s a meta, too. She can manipulate metal. Amunet used to be a low level drug dealer, then added gun running and sex trafficking to her resume. She’ll sell anything and anyone. She’s a meta, too. Same type powers as Mags. First time she saw Mags, the bitch decided Mags should be hers. Wants her as a protege.”

“Why ain’t the bitch dead?” Len growled.

“Because she’s too good at hiding and she has about a dozen very powerful metas working for her. It’d be a bloodbath,” Mark snarled. “Six months ago, we formed a tentative truce with Amunet’s group. Mags should have been protected, but with the military behind her? She’ll be feeling invincible.”

“So, what’s the plan?” Mick asked. “Why ain’t speedy with us?”

Mark hesitated as he drove toward the industrial part of town. “Because he’s not rational when it comes to those he loves. You saw what he did to Santini and his men and that was just for threatening Lisa. What do you think he’d do to someone who kidnapped his kid?”

* * *

Len was very good at maintaining a cool facade. He had decades of practice concealing his emotions. Watching an 8 ½ foot, massively muscled gorilla, who was currently snarling and smashing a concrete wall? That would make anyone cautious.

“Yo, big guy!” Mark called down from the overheard ramp.

The gorilla roared and spun to face them. Beside him, Mick cried out and fell back against the wall behind him, squeezing his eyes shut. Mark flinched and held up his hands. As for Len, he almost dropped to his knees at the sudden intrusion into his head.

_Trespassers!_

“Family!” Mark hissed.

Len grabbed onto the railing and held on tight as his mind felt as if it was being put through a blender. Fortunately, after a few seconds, the pressure eased off. He sucked in several deep breaths. 

_Wife-brother, friend-lover._

Len stared down at the creature and tried to focus his thoughts. It was almost impossible with Grodd rifling through his head so thoroughly. “What does that mean?” he gritted out.

_You wife-brother._

An image of Lisa appeared in his head and he slowly nodded. “My sister.” The image changed to a memory of Mark and Barry feeding him a cruller from his breakfast. 

_Friend-lover._

Len nodded again, the pressure easing more. Mick was back upright, but looked more amazed than furious, thankfully. Mark was breathing hard, but stayed quiet as he watched Grodd.

“Yes,” he answered. “I’m Leonard Snart. Captain Cold. Leader of the Rogues.”

Grodd gave a weird snuffling sound and sat down on a large piece of the wall he had torn free. _Grodd has no leader. Grodd no Rogue._

Len took a steadying breath and did as Mark had instructed before entering the foundry basement. “Family,” he said firmly. “You are family. And one of the family is in trouble.”

There was more shuffling in his head, but either Grodd was being gentler, or Len was getting used to it. 

_No see family. Who?_

“Magenta,” Len answered. “Amunet kidnapped her.”

Grodd roared louder than before, the metal walkway under their feet shaking. 

“Are you with us, big guy?” Mark asked, sounding pained. Grodd stood to his full height and pounded his chest a couple of times before turning and loping off toward a tunnel. Mark rubbed his temple and grimaced. “Let’s go. He’ll meet us at the truck.”

They hurried back through the passage that led to the ground floor, Mark in the lead and Mick in the rear. Len snorted as he heard Mick muttering in awe. “A fucking gorilla. Hell ya!”


	12. Rescue

Grodd settled in the back of the truck without any hesitation. Mick eagerly jumped in with him. Len was leery of that. A pyromaniac and an angry telepathic gorilla was not a stable combination, in any scenario. Time was short, though, so Len jumped back in the truck as Mark started the engine. Mark drove with one hand while dialing on a burner phone with the other. Len glanced at it as the ringing came through, loud and clear. Mark motioned for him to be quiet since he had it on speaker.

“What?” a British voice demanded.

“Heads up,” Mark said stiffly. “Amunet got her hands on Mags.”

“Fuck! Where is Allen?”

“Ramon’s got him in the cell. I’m not taking chances,” Mark explained. 

“You’re callin’ for backup.”

“No. I got backup. I’m calling for info. Where’s that bitch set up?”

“What backup, mate? Who have you got that can take on King Shark, not to mention the queen bint, herself?” the guy scoffed.

Mark glanced at Len worriedly. “The boss, Heat Wave and Grodd.”

“Oh, you fucker!” the guy growled. “Allen is going to bloody kill you if you get Grodd hurt! He’s gonna lose his goddamn mind if you get so much as scratched! I am _not_ cleaning up that shit!” 

Mark sighed heavily. “It’s Mags, John. You know what she means to him.”

There was some scuffling sounds, then a door slamming. “The old iron works,” he answered. “I’ll meet you there.”

“Don’t need you!” Mark objected.

“Bollocks!” the guy growled. “You need a goddamn army!”

The line went dead and Mark punched the steering wheel before taking a deep breath and tossing the phone into the backseat. “Fucking prick.” He grimaced as he looked at Len. “I don’t suppose Barry told you about Constantine?”

Len shook his head, confused. “Meta”

“Demon hunter,” Mark corrected. “Exorcist. British asshole with a death wish.”

“Demon hunter,” Len repeated in a stunned voice.

Mark nodded. “Yeah. He’s the real deal, but when he gets involved, things tend to get messier than expected. Plus, Grodd hates him.”

Len sighed. “How messy is this going to get?”

Mark snorted. “I almost wish Barry was with us.”

Len settled back in the seat and began making plans in his head. He needed to know more if he was going to keep his crew safe. “Tell me everything you know about Amunet, Grodd and Constantine’s powers.”

* * *

Constantine was an asshole. They found him almost immediately when they parked behind a shipping container, the smoke from his cigarette making Grodd snarl. Mick had his gun aimed at the British guy before Len was even out of the truck. Grodd leaped from the bed, landing right in front of the stranger, teeth bared. Mark hurried over to push between them. 

“We don’t have time for this bull!’ he hissed. “John! Back off! This is Cold. He’s the boss here.”

John smirked at Grodd fearlessly but did as he was told. Len stepped forward, already tired of the bullshit. “If you cannot work with us, go home,” he ordered coldly. “There’s no room here for pissing contests.”

“I’m no Rogue,” Constantine snarked. “I don’t take orders, mate.”

“Fine,” Len drawled, drawing his gun and pointing it right in the exorcist’s face. “You’re either part of the problem or part of the solution. Choose.”

Constantine stared at him intently for several seconds before stepping back and relaxing. “So, what’s the plan?” he asked.

Len turned to Grodd and pointed to his temple. “Read me.”

Grodd looked surprised for a second before gently ruffling through Len’s head. When he was done he nodded once and loped off around the side of the container. Len shook his head to clear away the haziness Grodd’s powers left behind. “Mick, you and Mark take the perimeter. Find a good spot for a blaze. Mark can create a wind to guide it toward the rear of the building.” He turned to Constantine and smirked. “You and I are going in the front. Create a shield for us. Something to keep us unnoticed. According to the building plans I pulled up on my phone, there are two sub-basements. I’m betting the prisoners are in the lower one.”

“Are you taking the piss? There’s a lot of muscle between us and them,” Constantine pointed out. 

“Grodd’s creating a distraction as we speak,” Len told him. “The longer we debate, the better chance that bitch rallies.”

Constantine eyed him for a moment before nodding. He dropped the cigarette and began muttering under his breath. Len held his breath as their skin began to lightly glow. Len relaxed and turned to head toward the building. 

Getting in wasn’t hard. There were dozens of people inside, but they were scrambling for cover, or trying to escape. Grodd was standing tall near a loading dock, his eyes almost glowing as he used his powers to frighten everyone. A couple of guys were trying to shoot him, but Len quickly froze them solid, earning him a wary look from Constantine. 

Len ignored the censure. These people were selling kids. They had kidnapped someone important to Barry. He had no mercy for anyone who hurt Barry.

* * *

Mick stared in awe as the fire spread around the back wall of the building. It made the perfect backdrop for the battle he was watching. The only thing missing was a large bucket of popcorn and maybe a few airplanes. 

Grodd roared loudly as he leaped up in the air and kicked out at the giant man shark, sending it tumbling into a stack of crates. Before he could launch a second attack the shark-man-thing-whatever snarled and swiped out with his massive claws, raking deep furrows across Grodd’s hip. Grodd’s fist made contact with the man-shark’s snout and blood flew from a nostril. 

“Grodd! Back off!” Mark shouted. Grodd rolled to the side just as Mark send hundreds of hail balls at the other beast. “Mick! Wake the fuck up!” Mark hissed, kicking him in the shin.

Mick shook off his awe and raised his gun. He took three steps forward and pulled the trigger. Soon the warehouse began to smell like the Motorcar on Fish Frydays.

* * *

Getting into the lowest levels wasn’t hard. Len left a few frostbite victims in his wake and Constantine seemed to finally get with the program because he had worked his mojo to put workers to sleep. Those he didn’t have the seconds necessary to bespell, he simply knocked out. Once they found the prisoners, Len had serious regrets about leaving anyone alive. 

Most of them were being held in dog cages too small for them to even sit upright. A few were chained to support beams or the walls. Len froze the chains and smashed them while John grabbed a set of keys off the wall and began unlocking cages. 

“Magenta!” Len called out. A few looked at him warily, but no one answered. Len huffed with annoyance. “Mags! I’m Captain Cold. Mardon is upstairs.”

One girl, arms around a small little boy, slowly straightened up. “Barry’s wife’s nickname,” she demanded.

Len smirked and began walking toward her. “Ladybug.”

Len tensed as the girl suddenly threw herself at him, sobbing loudly. After a couple of seconds he shifted until she was pressed to his side, his left arm wrapped around her. “Okay, we need to move fast. If anyone is hurt or weak, some of you stronger ones help them. I’ll lead and Constantine will be at the back. Keep quiet and move fast.” Len gripped his gun firmly and headed toward the stairs. The sooner they got out of here, the better.

“Oh, you didn’t think it was going to be that easy, did you?” Len spun and spotted someone new stepping through a door near the back of the room. The woman was smirking wildly, a small bucket in her hand and two goons by her side. “Leo Snart. Long time, no see,” she purred.

Len’s stomach churned as recognition hit. Leslie Jocoy. Of fucking course.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote the Grodd/King Shark battle this chapter about two months ago, but after seeing the last episode of the Flash, I went back and reworked the scene. It was too similar to the show's first half of the battle for my liking (I even had KS strung up on a steel cable hanging over a bridge), so I ended mine a bit differently.


	13. No Regrets

Len pushed Mags behind him and lifted one eyebrow. “Leslie. This is a surprise.”

The smirking blonde stepped further into the room. The hostages scrambled to get as far from her as possible, but she ignored them, looking right at Len, a smug smile on her face. “I’ll bet it is. I heard you finally stepped out of the shadows and stopped hiding behind your minions. Of course, it was a tiny bit surprising to discover that _you_ were Captain Cold.”

“You two know one another?” Constantine asked suspiciously.

Len smirked, refusing to show any wariness to Leslie. “We used to be… acquainted,” he admitted. 

“ _Intimately_ acquainted,” Leslie corrected, her smile disappearing as her eyes narrowed in anger. “Until Lenny here decided to turn into a fairy.”

Len ignored the slur and smirked wider. “I always did have a taste for the finer things in life,” he taunted. “Why settle for peanut butter when you can have caviar?”

Leslie hissed angrily and the bucket in her hand shook. Shards of metal swiftly rose in the air and melded together to form several blades. Before Len had time to do more than lift his gun, they were flying straight for him. A small hand shot out from his side and the blades jerked erratically before changing direction and embedding in the floor a few inches from his feet. 

Leslie snarled again and formed a dozen more blades. Len fired at her, but she dove to the side. The goon behind her wasn’t fast enough and his entire left side was frozen solid. He screamed as he hit the floor, his left arm shattering on impact. A golden glyph appeared in front of Len and Magenta, swallowing up the new blades. 

“Out! Now!” Constantine yelled at the hostages. He began pushing the closest ones toward the stairs and soon they were scrambling to escape the basement. He made his way closer to Len and pulled Magenta behind him. “Girlie, the second it looks clear, you run,” he ordered. “Grodd is upstairs along with Mardon.”

“Barry?” she asked shakily.

Len fired off a couple more shots to keep Leslie pinned down. “Safe. He’s at the compound,” he answered, using a post for cover. He was surprised to hear the girl snort.

“He’s gonna be pissed you locked him up,” she warned, crouching down low as bullets struck the cage Constantine had pulled her behind.

“Would you rather he rip out everyone’s hearts?” Constantine asked snidely. 

She was silent for a couple of seconds. “Yes,” she whispered.

Fury filled Len at her answer. Not because she wanted them dead, but because there was a wealth of emotion in that one word and none of it good. Pain. Humiliation. Fear. He could guess what she had experienced to make her want them dead and he acted on that, now.

“BARRY! NO!” he shouted as loud as he could.

As he had hoped, Leslie jumped and spun, searching for the attack that wasn’t coming, giving him a clear shot. He didn’t hesitate, firing his gun straight into her back. The other goon turned tail and ran back through the back door. Len stood and cautiously walked over to where Leslie was laying, her gasps wet and ragged. Ice had covered her entire back and halfway around her sides. Blood dripped from the corners of her mouth and was slowly soaking into the front of her shirt. 

“You sh-shot me,” she stammered.

“You hurt someone important to me,” he replied coldly. 

“She’s l-like me,” Leslie gasped. “Sh-should be m-mine.”

“Not her,” Len corrected. “Barry. You hurt him by taking someone he loves. The moment you saw me, you should have run, Leslie. You should have packed it in and left. You knew better than to cross me.”

“N-not a m-meta.”

Len smirked and aimed his gun at her head. “I don’t need to be,” he said before pulling the trigger. He held it for five seconds, leaving her head and shoulders a solid block of ice. Then he holstered the coldgun and turned to Magenta. “Cover your eyes, sweetheart.”

She shook her head, pulling her shoulders back straight. Len smiled and nodded before lifting a boot and crushing the ice. Constantine stared at Len with horror, grabbing the girl’s upper arm and silently drawing her toward the stairs. 

* * *

By the time they reached the main floor of the warehouse the only ones still alive were Grodd, Mark, Mick and the other prisoners. Len didn’t hesitate one bit before crossing the floor and pulling Mark in for a deep kiss, which Mark enthusiastically returned. They finally parted when they heard an ‘ew, gross’ from Magenta. Looking around, he spotted the young girl curled up in Grodd’s arms. He gave her a smile which she shyly returned.

“Boss, scanner says the pigs are on the way,” Mick said.

Mark turn to the people who hadn’t run off yet. “Go home. Get somewhere safe. If you don’t have a place, head to the old drive-in. There will be a couple of Rogues waiting to help you find a safe place. If anyone is hurt, or sick, there’s a couple of doctors there, also. Most of you know the Rogue code, but for those who might not, we don’t hurt innocents and we don’t charge for care. We just want you someplace safe. If you can’t trust us, take your chances with the cops, but give them any info on us and you’ll never get help again.”

Mark turned and looked at Len expectantly. He smirked and nodded, stepping into the role of boss easily. “Mick, Grodd, take her to the truck. Constantine, need a lift?”

Constantine was still watching him with unease. “I’ll make my own way. You didn’t need to do that, you know,” he said in a low voice.

Len stared him right in the eyes. “Yes, I did. I knew Leslie. Once she fixates, she never gives up. She would have kept coming for Magenta until one of them was dead. Magenta needs to know she never has to worry about being kidnapped and abused ever again. You don’t have to like my methods, but don’t think for one moment I’m going to waste time regretting this kill.”

“You may not like her, but Amunet served a purpose,” Constantine argued. “The metas who don’t trust the Rogues worked for her. She kept them in line.”

“Amunet wasn’t irreplaceable,” Mark said. “It wouldn’t be hard to build up someone else.”

“Barry’s not gonna be happy,” the exorcist warned.

“Barry works for me,” Len lied. “He’ll fall in line.”

“And how do you think Barry’s gonna take you kissing his boyfriend?” Constantine asked coldly. 

“Like I said,” Len drawled, giving the exorcist a bored look. “He’ll fall in line.”

Constantine gave him a calculating look before turning and walking away. Mark exhaled tiredly and shook his head. “One of these days he’s going to get too cocky and overstep.”

“If you don’t trust him, why call him in?” Len asked. 

“I didn’t intend to, remember? I just needed to know where Amunet had set up.” Mark grimaced and sighed. “Not my smartest move. I know how much that asshole wants an in with Barry, and the protection of the Rogue name without having to follow anyone’s orders. The fact is, John is the man in the know. If he doesn’t already know something, he can find it out faster than anyone else I know.”

Len climbed into the cab of the truck and was about to shut the door but Magenta slipped in and curled up on the seat beside him, pressing her face against his shoulder. Len tensed slightly before forcing himself to relax and buckle them both in together. He wrapped his right arm around her and held her close as Mark shut the door for him.

“Are you okay?” he asked quietly as Mark hurried around to the driver’s side.

“Are you really with Mark?” she asked, her voice small and muffled by his shoulder.

Len hesitated to answer. For one, she was a stranger. And a child. On the other hand, she was terrified and (for some reason) seeking comfort from him. “It’s complicated,” he admitted. “I’m involved with both men.”

“Okay,” she whispered, pressing as close as she could get and relaxing. 

Mark started the engine and reached over to stroke her hair. “Okay there, Mags?” She nodded but didn’t look up or pull away. “We need to drop Grodd off and then we’ll take you to Barry, okay?”

_Want to see family._

Len forced himself not to grimace as Grodd’s voice floated through his head. Mark flinched, which told Len he had heard it, too.

_See family now or see family in town._

Mark cussed under his breath. “Pushy fucking ape,” he muttered without any real heat. He lowered the window and stuck his head out. “Fine! But if you scare the girls, I’ll let Roy flash you blue again!”

Grodd snorted but settled down beside Mick.

“Blue?” Len asked quietly, trying not to disturb Magenta.

Mark grinned evilly. “Imagine a kitten in a tub of catnip. Now replace the kitten with an 8 ½ foot gorilla. I have it on video.”

Len sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. His Rogues were nothing more than children.


	14. Consequence

Len watched Barry cross the room and wished he knew how to fix this. With the dampener cuffs on, Barry had been unable to use his powers. Apparently, that wasn’t the only effect they had, though. Unbeknownst to Len, the cuffs also caused the wearer severe nausea, some pain, and in anyone with transmutative powers, like Woodward, difficulty controlling their powers for a couple of days after. When they had returned to the mansion, Barry was released. He immediately sped forward, stopping only a couple of inches from Magenta. It was clear he wanted nothing more than to hold her and make sure she was okay. Mark had moved to place his hand on Barry’s back, but the speedster had flinched and darted out of reach. The betrayal in his eyes was obvious. 

In the end, Magenta had approached Barry and assured him she was fine. Grodd had lumbered over, staying just far enough not to touch, speaking telepathically to Barry. Whatever Grodd told him seemed to reassure Barry. Soon he was herding Magenta off to see Shawna and get checked out. That was the last he saw of Barry for two days. That night Mark came to his room and curled up against Len’s chest, explaining that Barry had gone running. Len could read between the lines. He had known there was a good chance Barry would be upset with them for leaving him behind. Seeing Barry avoid Mark’s touch, even at the expense of holding his sort-of daughter had told Len more than Mark’s resignation. 

When Barry finally came back, he was polite, respectful and very, very distant. He was present for every training session, every meeting and every meal, but he stayed in the background and only spoke when directly addressed. He didn’t even seem to mind the rumors starting to circulate. Apparently most people around the mansion had noticed Barry’s behavior which, coupled with Mark and Len’s closeness, led to the false assumptions that Len had finally completely ‘stolen’ Barry’s lover. 

Mick had laughed uproariously when he told Len that there were bets among the whores about how long it would be before Barry either tried a coup or ‘disappeared’ in a blizzard. It also made them even more certain that Len had been the power behind the name all along, because only someone fearsome could force someone of Barry’s power to not fight for his lover. 

As for Mark, he was growing more and more sullen with each passing day. He was starting to snap at anyone who spoke. His sleep was disjointed and restless. He was also clingier in private, often curling his body close to Len and clutching at his arms as if afraid Len would disappear. Which is why, after a week of being avoided or ignored, Len decided to confront Barry. 

Ever tried to confront a speedster? Yeah, it’s exactly as difficult as you would think. Barry was an expert at disappearing in the blink of an eye. After a full day of trying, Len realized he’d have to get sneaky. That night, once everyone had eaten andf most were mingling in the lounge or family room, Len grabbed Mark’s hand and pulled him upstairs. He ignored the smirks thrown their way and the tense set of Barry’s shoulders as he pretended to watch TV with Lisa and Mags (who had bonded almost immediately upon meeting). Once out of sight, Len led his lover to his and Barry’s room. 

“Um, Len...”

“I’m done,” he said firmly. “I’m done waiting on Barry to forgive us. I’m done watching you sulk. I’m done waiting on him to stop avoiding us. Now, if he wants to end things, he’s gonna have to say so to my face.”

Mark sighed and moved to sit on the side of the bed. “I knew,” Mark mumbled. “I knew when I put those cuffs on him that he would react like this. But I couldn’t let him go after that bitch. I knew restraining him would end us but I couldn’t risk him getting killed.”

Len moved across the room to sit by Mark. “What do you mean?”

Mark sighed softly and laid his head on Len’s shoulder. “Remember when I told you about the Streak and his secret meta prison?”

Len nodded. “You said Vibe and Hartley were his prisoners.”

“So was Barry,” Mark admitted. “One day, he just… disappeared on us. He went out for groceries and didn’t come back. By then Shawna and Roy were with us. We spent a week looking for him before we ran across rumors of the prison. No one knew where it was, or who ran it, but there were whispers that the Streak was associated with it. We followed the few clues we had and they led us to Detective Joe West. So, Roy and I kidnapped him. When the Streak came to rescue him, we let him take us prisoner. Shawna and Mags were monitoring trackers we had swallowed.”

Mark shivered and scrubbed at his tired eyes. “Len… it was… it was worse than a nightmare. The cells were only 3 foot wide tubes. You couldn’t even lie down in them. All steel and glass with meta dampeners in the walls. Most of the time you were left in the dark. West, a woman named Felicity and another guy named Eddie came by once a day with bottles of water and a couple of sandwiches. There were four others beside me, Barry and Roy. Hartley, Vibe, a girl named Jesse and her father, Harry. Jesse and Harry weren’t even metas. They just helped hide metas from the cops. 

It took Shawna and Mags three days to sneak past the security and get us out. By then, Barry had been there two weeks. You’ve seen how much he has to eat to maintain his energy. His mind works so fast and time passes so slowly when he’s trapped and can’t access his powers, that he was going mad. As soon as the cells were unlocked and the dampeners turned off, an alarm sounded. The Streak came racing in and Barry went wild. Between the starvation and the solitude, he was practically feral. He snapped the kid’s neck almost immediately. West got there before Barry could kill him. He shot Barry twice before Harry ran forward and tried to disarm him. West shot him, too and Vibe blasted West into the wall, knocking him out. Roy managed to catch Barry’s eyes and calmed him down enough for us to get everyone out. Harry and Jesse left town and the others joined us.”

Mark sighed heavily. “I swore,” he whispered. “I swore to Barry that I would never let anything like that happen to him again. I swore he would never be that powerless again. I broke my promise. He’ll never forgive me. And I knew that. I knew what I was doing when I put him in that cell. But I would rather he hate me forever than risk him dying. I had to do it. I had to,” he cried softly. “Amunet would have killed him. There were speedster traps all over that warehouse.”

“I don’t hate you.”

Len and Mark jumped up and spun to see Barry standing in front of the door. He had his hands in his pockets and his shoulders were tense as he stared at them warily. After a couple of seconds he sighed and looked down. “I don’t. I love you both. What I hate is that you took my power from me. My choice. You trapped me and left me there with no clue what was happening, where you were or what was going on. Mags was in danger and I was alone and imprisoned. I felt betrayed by the two people I trust most. I’m furious with you both.”

They both flinched but Barry took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “But I don’t hate either of you. I wanted to. I tried. But I love you both too much to hate you.”

Len linked his right hand with Mark’s before moving them both closer to Barry. “What can we do?” he asked gently. “How can we make this better? We miss you, Barry. We’re unhappy without you.”

Barry stared at Len for several seconds before looking at Mark just as intently. “I won’t believe another promise,” he said carefully. “It’ll be a while before I fully trust you again.”

Mark reached out and gently gripped Barry’s hand. “I don’t care. I’ll earn it back. Just don’t keep locking us out. Please, Barry. I… I’m lost without you.”

Len reached out and placed a hand on Barry’s waist. “We both want you back.”

A couple of seconds passed and Len was beginning to doubt Barry would respond when he stepped forward and pressed a hard kiss to Mark’s lips, his free hand grabbing onto Len’s shirt and pulling him in closer. When Barry released Mark and turned his head, Len was already waiting to snag his own kiss from their speedster.


	15. Sweet Deal

Len tumbled onto the bed first with Mark falling almost on top of him. Barry wasted no time straddling their tangled legs. He slid a hand under Mark’s shirt, teasing and stroking across his pecs. His other hand curled possessively around Len’s neck. “I’ve very, very angry,” the speedster purred. “So, here’s how tonight is going to go. Mark is going to stretch out on the bed and let me tie him down. I’m going to put that pretty little silver cock ring on him and my favorite blue ball gag.”

Mark shivered and his right hand clamped down hard on Len’s thigh. “Fuuuuck,” he whispered shakily.

Barry smirked and licked his lips as he continued to stare into Len’s eyes. “Then you are going to let me put a cock ring on you. The red one, I think. It has a perineum stimulator. Once I get Mark ready you’re going to fuck him, nice and slow. I want you to wreck him. Make him beg behind the gag. I want you to curse me, swear at me, _demand_ I let you cum.”

Mark writhed and let out a needy whine. Len was barely holding onto his composure seeing the deep pool of lust in Barry’s eyes. “And you?” he managed to growl.

Barry’s lips twitched, almost giving them a smile. “I’m going to be in the chair. Watching,” he answered in a deceptively sweet voice. “And if you’re _good_ enough, if you _earn_ it, then _maybe_ I’ll take off the cock rings and fuck you until you both cum.”

Len was pretty sure that if either man brushed their hand across the bulge in his pants, he’d cum right then and there. Goddammit, the things Barry did to him!

* * *

Len laughed as Lisa threw her arms in the air and squealed like a little girl. 

“Put it on me!” she demanded. 

Barry had really outdone himself this year. Granted, it was his and Lisa’s ten year anniversary, so it was to be expected. Barry reached into the velvet-lined box and pulled out the white gold and diamond tiara, placing it delicately on Lisa’s head. Mark reached over and placed his hand on the small of Barry’s back so that Lisa could jump up and hug her husband tight. Soon others stepped forward with their own gifts, allowing Barry and Mark to cross the room to him. 

“You do realize that no one else, including me, her own brother, can compete with that, right?” Len drawled.

Barry smirked smugly and shrugged one shoulder. “Husbands get priority,” he teased.

Mark snickered and wound his arms around his own husband. “Is that so?” he asked.

Len grinned and pecked Mark’s cheek. “I believe he’s right, honey,” Len said, adding a bit of purr to his tone. “Maybe I should concentrate on _my_ husband tonight. Focus all my attention on making _him_ feel appreciated.”

Mark snickered as Barry immediately began pouting. He reached out and pulled Barry to him. Len relaxed into Mark’s side, linking his hand to Barry’s free one. Five years ago he was an up and coming thief, slowly making a name for himself. Then he spotted this adorable little twink in a rundown bar and was quickly pulled into a world he never imagined.

It had taken a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get here. The first two years were spent defending their territory and strengthening their hold on the Gem Cities. Not only did they have to worry about other Families, but about the Governor, who was doing everything she could to pass anti-meta legislation. The police tried to hound them, but budget cuts made it harder for them to focus on the Rogues. 

New ‘heroes’ popped up, calling themselves the Legends. Merlyn, a dark arts master, The Atom, capable of decreasing or increasing his size through technology, Vixen, who wielded incredible strength and agility through an amulet, Zari who could channel air into a weapon, and White Canary, a former assassin and current team leader. They had quite a few battles in the beginning. Some fun, some not-so-fun. When a curse from Merlyn almost killed Bette they knew something had to change.

Barry, Hartley and Len set up a meeting with Canary and Vixen and hammered out a truce. They agree not to expand their territory further and the Legends mostly left the Rogues alone, since it was their power and influence that kept the mobs out of the city. The white hats did a fairly good job keeping the city safe from metas who didn’t want to play by the Rogue’s rules while also discouraging the politicians and government from actually passing the anti-meta laws. 

Once things settled down and the threats tapered off, Lisa had offered Barry a no-fault divorce, but Barry refused. He did promise that if Lisa ever wanted one, herself, he would agree immediately, but he was content to stay married to his Ladybug, which came in helpful when Barry and Lisa set out to adopt Magenta. Len, Barry and Mark sat down soon after and seriously talked about their relationship. Len was no longer taking anyone else to bed, but they had never actually talked about what each of them wanted or needed. Turns out that three emotionally stunted men trying to express their feeling was a disaster of almost epic proportions. There were a lot of misunderstandings and hurt feelings at first. 

Still, they were too invested in each other to give up, and once they managed to work past their fears, self-loathing and worries, they found they were actually mostly in sync with what they wanted and needed. They converted the top floor into one large apartment just for them. Somewhere they could have privacy together or alone as needed. They rarely ever slept apart, most often only because one of them was injured. As time passed, Len began to build up an immunity to Barry’s powers. He’d likely never be completely immune, but the electricity that coursed through Barry was now more of a low-voltage jolt than a true danger. 

The day Mark proposed had been a complete surprise. Len had been sitting down to dinner with just Lisa, Mick and the core group, vaguely wondering why it was just them, when Mark suddenly dropped down to one knee and produced a small velvet box. Barry stood silently at his back, a bright, hopeful smile on his face.

“Leonard Snart, I love Barry and together we were very happy. We fit well together and I thought that was all we needed. Then you came into our lives and we started to doubt. Suddenly here was this incredibly smug, pun-loving bastard who was way too cool for his own good. When I realized there was a chance of having both of you, I felt like the luckiest sonovabitch in the world. These last four years have been a dream we never thought possible. We love you, Len. I love you just as much as I love Barry, just as much as Barry loves you. Marry me. Be ours forever.”

Len will swear to his dying day that he didn’t cry. (Hartley had better have erased those photos on his phone, dammit!) For the first time in decades, Len didn’t stop to consider all the angles. He didn’t try to plan or question. He said ‘yes’ and wrapped himself around both men, kissing them breathless. Mags made a beautiful flower girl. Lisa and Mick stood at his side. Roy and Hartley stood up with Mark. Barry gave Mark away, claiming it was only fitting that one lover passed him over to the other. 

Next month he and Mark were spending a week in Aruba for their one year anniversary. Barry was staying home, insisting that they spend some quality time alone together for once. He did agree to spending a second week with them once Mark pouted and Len insisted. 

Len could honestly say he loves his life. His sister was settled and safe. Mick had found a purpose in life (and a new best friend in Grodd, who Mick had moved to the mansion and built a small home for). Best of all, he had two men who loved him, supported him and trusted him. Turns out that being the leader of the Rogues was a pretty sweet deal.


End file.
